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Thrilling  Stories 

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STRICKEN 


The  True  Story  of 

Our  National  Calamity 

Of  Flood,  Fire  and  Tornado 

The  appalling  loss  of  life,  the  terrible  suffering 
of  the  homeless,  the  struggles  for  safety,  and 
the  noble  heroism  of  those  who  risked  life  to 
save  loved  ones;  the  unprecedented  loss  of 
property,  resulting  in  the  laying  waste  of 
flourishing  cities  and  towns 

How  the  Whole  Nation  Joined 
in  the  Work  of  Relief 


By  LOGAN  MARSHALL 

Author  of 

♦'The  Sinking  of  the  Titanic,"  "The  Universal 

Handbook,"  "Life  of  Theodore  Roosevelt," 

"The    Storv    of     Polar    Conquest," 

"Marshall's  Handy  Manual,"  Etc. 


PROFUSELY  ILLUSTRATED  WITH 
AUTHENTIC  PHOTOGRAPHS 


Copyright  1913,  by 
L.  T.  MYERS 


The  material  in  this  work  is  fully  protected 
under  the  copyright  laws  of  the  United 
States.  All  persons  are  warned  against 
making   any  use  of   it   without  permission. 


'sW£ 


to 


2b50^7Z(o 


s;  « 

Prayer  by  Bishop  David  H.  Greer:  * 

O  Merciful  God  and  Heavenly  Father,  who  % 

fi      hast  taught  us  in  Thy  holy  word  that  Thou  dost  f 

H      not  willingly  afflict  or  grieve  the  children  of  men,  | 
§s      give  ear  to  the  prayers  which  we  humbly  offer 


to  Thee  in  behalf  of  our  brethren  who  are  suffer- 

|j  ing  from  the  great  water  floods. 

Jj  Cause  them  in  their  sorrow  to  experience  the 

$j  comfort  of  Thy  presence,  and  in  their  bewilder- 

«j  ment  the  guidance  of  Thy  wisdom.    Stir  up,  we 

H  beseech  Thee,  the  wills  of  Thy  people  to  minis-      8 

$}  ter  with  generous  aid  to  their  present  needs,      % 

<|  and  so  overrule  in  Thy  providence   this  great 

H  and  sore    calamity  that    we  may  be    brought      jp: 

33  nearer  to  Thee  and  be  knit  more  closely  one      % 

Sj  to  another  in  sympathy  and  love 


All  which  we  humbly  ask,  through  Jesus  Christ 


j» 


S      Our  Lord.    Amen.  ■£' 


vr*-* 


WHERE  THE  NATION'S  SYMPATHIES  ARE  CENTERED 


f 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

The  Greatest  Cataclysm  in  American  History 11 

CHAPTER  II 
The  Death-Bearing  Flood  at  Dayton 23 

CHAPTER  III 
Dayton's  Menace  of  Fire  and  Famine 36 

CHAPTER  IV 

Dayton  in  the  Throes  of  Distress 55 

CHAPTER  V 

The  Recuperation  of  Dayton 74 

CHAPTER  VI 
Dayton:    "The  City  of  a  Thousand  Factories" 104 

CHAPTER  VII 
The  Devastation  of  Columbus 110 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Columbus:    The  Beautiful  Capital  of  Ohio  ......  ■•■:>> 138 

(  5  ) 


6  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IX 
(  Jincinnati:   A  New  Center  of  Peril 142 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Flood  in  Western  Ohio 152 

CHAPTER  XI 
The  Flood  in  Northern   Ohio 163 

CHAPTER  XIT 
The  Flood  in  Eastern  Ohio 169 

CHAPTER  XIII 
The  Flood  in  Eastern   Indiana 179 

CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Desolation  of  Indianapolis  and  the  Valley  of  the  White 
River 184 

CHAPTER  XV 
The  Roaring  Torrent  of  the  Wabash 191 

CHAPTER  XVI 
The  Plight  of  Peru:     A  Stricken  City 197 

CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Death-Dealing  Tornado  at  Omaha 204 


CONTENTS  7 

CHAPTER  XYIII 

Struggles  of  Stricken  Omaha -. <  212 

CHAPTER  XIX 

Omaha:    "The  Gate  City  of  the  West" 217 

CHAPTER  XX 

Other  Damage  from  the  Nebraska  Tornado 220 

CHAPTER  XXI 

The  Tornado  in  Iowa  and  Illinois 225 

CHAPTER   XXII 

The  Tornado  in  Kansas  and  Arkansas 228 

CHAPTER  XXIII 
The  Tornado  in  Indiana 231 

CHAPTER   XXIV 

The  Tornado  in  Pennsylvania 239 

CHAPTER  XXV 
The'  Freak  Tornado  in  Alabama , 243 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

The  Flood  in  New  York 246 

CHAPTER  XXVII 

The  Flood  in  Pennsylvania 254 


8  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
The  Flood  in  the  Ohio  Valley 26 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
The  Flood  in  the  Mississippi  Valley 270 

CHAPTER  XXX 
Damage  to  Transportation,  Mail  and  Telegraph  Facilities  . .  277 

CHAPTER   XXXI 
The  Work  of  Relief 285 

CHAPTER  XXXII 
Previous  Great  Floods  and  Tornadoes 294 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 

Lessons  of  the  Cataclysm  and  Precautionary  Measures 308 


The  Unleashed  Gods 

By  Percy  Shaw 

Iron  and  rock  are  our  slaves; 

We  are  liege  to  marble  and  steel; 
We  go  our  ways  through  our  purse-proud  days, 
Lifting  our  voices  in  loud  self-praise — 

Forgetting  the  God  at  the  wheel. 

We  build  our  bulwarks  of  stone, 

Skyscraper  and  culvert  and  tower, 
Till  the  God  of  Flood,  keen-nosed  for  blood, 
Drags  our  monuments  into  the  mud 
In  the  space  of  a  red-eyed  hour. 

Kings  of  the  oceans  are  we, 

With  our  liners  of  rocket  speed, 
Till  the  God  of  Ice,  in  mist-filled  trice, 
Calls  to  us  harshly  to  pay  his  price 

As  we  sink  to  the  deep-sea  weed. 

Muscle  and  brain  are  our  slaves; 

We  are  liege  to  iron  and  steel; 
But  who  shall  say,  tomorrow,  today, 
That  we  shall  not  halt  on  our  onward  way 

To  bow  to  the  God  at  the  wheel? 


HELPING  HANDS 


CHAPTER  I 

The  Greatest  Cataclysm  in  American  Histori 

the  uncontrollable  forces  of  nature — the  devastation 
of  omaha — the  terror  of  the  flood — a  vivid  picture 
of  the  flood — the  tragedy  of  death  and  suffering — 
the  sympathy  of  nations  —  the  courage  of  the 
stricken — men  that  showed  themselves  heroes. 

MAN  is  still  the  plaything  of  Nature.  He  boasts  loudly 
of  conquering  it;  the  earth  gives  a  little  shiver  and 
his  cities  collapse  like  the  house  of  cards  a  child 
sets  up.  A  French  panegyrist  said  of  our  own  Franklin: 
"He  snatched  the  scepter  from  tyrants  and  the  lightning 
from  the  skies,"  but  the  lightning  strikes  man  dead  and  con- 
sumes his  home.  He  thinks  he  has  mastered  the  ocean,  but 
the  records  of  Lloyds  refute  him.  He  declares  his  independence 
of  the  winds  upon  the  ocean,  and  the  winds  upon  the  land 
touch  his  proud  constructions  and  they  are  wrecks. 

He  imprisons  the  waters  behind  a  dam  and  fetters  the  cur- 
rent of  the  rivers  with  bridges;  they  bestir  themselves  and  the 
fetters  snap,  his  towns  are  washed  away  and  thousands  of 
dead  bodies  float  down  the  angry  torrents.  He  burrows  into 
the  skin  of  the  earth  for  treasure,  and  a  thousand  men  find  a 
living  grave.     Man  has  extorted  many  secrets  from  Nature; 

(ID 


12  GREATEST  CATACLYSM 

he  can  make  a  little  use  of  a  few  of  its  forces;  but  he  is  impotent 
before  its  power.  v  :■*■--• 

Thus  we  pause  to  reflect  upon  the  most  staggering  and  tragic 
cataclysm  of  Nature  that  has  been  visited  upon  our  country 
since  first  our  forefathers  won  it  from  the  Indian — the  unpre- 
cedented succession  of  tornadoes,  floods,  storms  and  bliz- 
zards, which  in  March,  1913,  devastated  vast  areas  of 
territory  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Nebraska  and  a  dozen  other 
states,  and  which  were  followed  fast  by  the  ravages  of  fire, 
famine  and  disease. 

THE    DEVASTATION    OF   OMAHA 

The  terrible  suddenness  and  irresistible  power  of  such  catas- 
trophes make  them  an  object  of  overwhelming  fear.  The 
evening  of  Easter  Sunday  in  Omaha  was  doubtless  as  placid 
and  uneventful  as  a  thousand  predecessors,  until  an  appalling 
roar  and  increasing  darkness  announced  to  the  initiated  the 
approach  of  a  tornado,  and  in  a  few  minutes  forty-seven  city 
blocks  were  leveled  to  the  ground.  The  fairest  and  best  built 
part  of  the  city  could  no  more  withstand  this  awful  force  than 
the  weakest  hovels.  Twelve  hundred  buildings  were  destroyed, 
most  of  them  homes,  but  among  them  many  churches  and 
school  houses.  The  just  and  the  unjust  fared  alike  in  this  riot 
of  destruction  and  then  the  tornado  rushed  on  to  find  other 
objects  on  which  to  wreck  its  force  in  Council  Bluffs  and 
elsewhere.  It  left  in  its  wake  many  fires,  but  fortunately 
also  a  heavy  rain,  while  later  a  deep  fall  of  snow  covered  up 
the  scene  of  its  awful  destruction. 


GREATEST  CATACLYSM  13 

■ 

THE   TERROR   OF   THE    FLOOD 

With  the  rest  of  the  country,  fair  Dayton  sorrowed  for 
Omaha.  Two  days  later  Omaha,  bowed  and  almost  broken 
by  her  own  misfortune,  looked  with  sympathy  across  to  Day- 
ton, whose  woe  was  even  greater.  A  thousand  communities 
in  the  United  States  read  the  story  and  in  their  own  sense  of 
security  sent  eager  proffers  of  assistance  to  the  striken  dis- 
tricts. And  not  one  of  them  has  assurance  that  it  may  not 
be  next.  There  is  no  sure  definition  of  the  course  of  the  earth- 
quake, the  path  of  the  wind,  the  time  and  place  of  the  storm- 
cloud.  Science  has  its  limitations.  Only  the  Infinite  is  mas- 
ter of  these  forces. 

In  the  legal  parlance  of  the  practice  of  torts  such  occurrences 
as  these  are  known  as  "acts  of  God."  Theologians  who 
attempt  to  solve  the  mysteries  of  Providence  have  found  in 
such  occasions  the  evidence  of  Divine  wrath  and  warning  to 
the  smitten  people.  But  to  seek  the  reason  and  to  know  the 
purpose,  if  there  be  purpose  in  it,  is  not  necessary.  The  fact 
is  enough.  It  challenges,  staggers,  calls  a  halt,  compels  men 
and  women  to    think — and  even  to  pray. 

But  the  flood  did  not  confine  itself  to  Dayton.  It  laid  its 
watery  hand  of  death  and  destruction  over  a  whole  tier  of 
states  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  New  England,  and  over  the 
vast  area  to  the  southward  which  is  veined  by  the  Ohio 
River  and  its  tributaries,  and  extending  from  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley  almost  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  And  as  this 
awful  deluge  drained  from  the  land  into  Nature's  watercourses 
the  demons  of  death  and  devastation  danced  attendance  on  its 


14  GREATEST  CATACLYSM 

mad  rush  that  laid  waste  the  borderlands  of  the  Mississippi 
River  from  Illinois  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

A   VIVID   PICTURE    OF   THE   FLOOD 

Those  who  have  never  seen  a  great  flood  do  not  know 
(he  meaning  of  the  Scriptural  phrase,  "the  abomination  of 
desolation." 

An  explosion,  a  railroad  wreck,  even  a  fire — these  are  bad 
enough  in  their  pictorial  effect  of  shattered  ruins  and  confu- 
sion. But  for  giving  one  an  oppressive  sense  of  death-like 
misery,  there  is  nothing  equal  to  a  flood. 

I  do  not  speak  now  of  the  loss  of  life,  which  is  unspeakably 
dreadful,  but  of  the  scenic  effect  of  the  disaster.  It  just 
grips  and  benumbs  you  with  its  awfulness. 

In  the  flat  country  of  the  Middle  West  there  is  less  likeli- 
hood of  swift,  complete  destruction  than  in  narrow  valleys,  like 
those  of  Johnstown  and  Austin  in  Pennsylvania.  But  the 
effect  is,  if  anything,  more  gruesome. 

After  the  crest  has  passed  there  are  miles  and  miles  of 
inundated  land,  with  only  trees  and  half -submerged  buildings 
and  floating  wTeckage  to  break  the  monotony;  just  a  vast 
lake  of  yellow,  muddy  water,  swirling  and  boiling  as  it  seeks 
to  find  its  level. 

The  scene  in  a  town  is  particularly  ghastly.  How  ghastly 
it  is,  you  would  have  realized  if  you  could  have  gone  with  the 
writer  into  the  flooded  districts  of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  traveling 
from  point  to  point  in  automobiles  and  motor  boats,  penetrat- 
ing to  the  heart  of  the  flood  in  boats  even  before  the  waters 


GREATEST  CATACLYSM 


15 


16  GREATEST  CATACLYSM 

receded,  and  afterwards  on  foot.  The  upper  floors  of  houses 
not  torn  from  their  foundations  look  all  right,  but  it  fairly 
makes  you  sick  to  see  the  waves  of  turbid  water  lapping  at 
second  floor  sills,  with  tangled  tree  branches  and  broken 
furniture  floating  about.  It  seems  horrible — it  is  horrible — 
to  think  of  that  yellow  flood  pouring  into  pleasant  rooms 
where  a  few  hours  before  the  family  sat  in  peace  and  fancied 
security — roaring  over  the  threshold,  swirling  higher  and  higher 
against  the  walls,  setting  the  cherished  household  treasures 
astray,  driving  the  furniture  hither  and  thither,  drowning 
out  cheerful  rooms  in  darkness  and  death. 

If  anything  can  be  worse  than  this,  it  is  the  scenes  when 
the  waters  recede.  The  shade  trees  that  stood  in  the  streets 
so  trim  and  beautiful  are  all  bedraggled  and  bent,  their 
branches  festooned  with  floating  wreckage  and  all  manner  of 
offensive  things,  their  leaves  sodden,  their  trunks  caked  with 
mud.  The  streets  are  seas  of  yellow  ooze.  Garden  fences  and 
hedges  are  twisted  or  torn  away.  Reeking  heaps  of  indescrib- 
able refuse  lie  moldering  where  there  were  smooth  lawns  and 
bright  flower  beds.  The  houses  that  stand  are  all  smeared 
with  the  dirt  that  shows  the  height  of  the  flood. 

But  inside  those  houses — that  is  the  dreadful  thing.  The 
rooms  that  the  water  filled  are  like  damp  caves.  Mud  lies 
thick  on  the  floors,  the  walls  are  streaked  with  slime,  and  the 
paper  hangs  down  in  dismal  festoons.  Some  pictures  may 
remain  hanging,  but  they  are  all  twisted  and  tarnished.  The 
furniture  is  a  tumbled  mass  of  confusion  and  filth.  But  the 
worst  is  the  reek  of  decay  and  death  about  the  place. 


GREATEST  CATACLYSM  17 

THE  TRAGEDY  OF  DEATH  AND  SUFFERING 

But  there  is  something  greater  in  its  tragedy  than  all  this — 
something  greater  than  a  great  region  where  splendid  cities, 
towns  and  humble  villages  alike  are  without  resource — some- 
thing greater  than  a  region  of  broken  dams  and  embankments 
and  of  placid  rivers  gone  mad  in  flood,  bridgeless,  uncontrol- 
lable, widened  into  lakes,  into  seas.  It  is  the  hundreds  of  dead 
who  died  a  hideous  death,  and  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
living  who  are  left  helpless  and  homeless,  and  all  but  hopeless. 

Just  for  one  moment  think — we  in  our  warm,  comfortable 
houses,  comfortably  clad,  safe,  smiling  and  happy — of  the  half 
million  of  our  fellow  creatures  out  yonder  shivering  and  trem- 
bling and  dying,  in  the  grasp  of  the  "  destruction  that  wasteth 
at  noonday,"  swiftly  pursued  by  "  the  pestilence  which  walketh 
in  darkness."  The  leaping  terror  of  the  flames  climaxes  the 
terror  of  the  harrowing  day  and  the  helpless,  hopeless  night 
of  agony  and  sorrow  and  despair. 

Think  of  the  men,  women,  children  and  the  little  babies 
crushed  and  mangled  amid  the  wreck  of  shattered  homes — 
but  yesterday  as  beautiful  and  bright  as  ours — the  pallid  faces 
of  hundreds  floating  as  corpses  in  the  stately  streets  turned 
into  rushing  rivers  by  the  relentless  floods — brothers  and  sis- 
ters of  ours,  freezing  and  starving  in  homes  turned  suddenly 
into  broken  rafts  and  battered  houseboats  amid  the  muddy 
deluge,  while  the  pitying  stars  look  down  at  night  upon  thou- 
sands, wet,  weeping,  shivering,  hungry,  helpless  and  homeless, 
with  the  host  of  their  unrecognized  and  unburied  dead,  in  this 
frightful  holocaust  of  fire  and  flood  and  pestilence. 


18  GREATEST  CATACLYSM 

Think  of  the  region  where  people  are  huddled  shivering 
on  hills  or  housetops,  watching  the  swelling  waters;  where 
practically  every  convenience,  means  of  communication,  com- 
fort, appliance  of  civilization  has  been  wiped  out  or  stopped; 
where  there  is  little  to  eat  and  no  way  of  getting  food  save 
from  the  country  beyond  the  waters;  where  millionaire  and 
pauper,  Orville  Wright  and  humble  scrub-woman,  stand 
shoulder  to  shoulder  in  the  bread-line  tl  at  winds  towards  the 
relief  stations,  all  alike  dependent  for  once  on  charity  for  the 
barest  sustenance. 

THE    SYMPATHY   OF   NATIONS 

These  are  the  tragedies  that  touch  our  hearts.  These  are 
the  tragedies  that  have  brought  messages  of  condolence  from 
King  George  of  England,  from  the  King  of  Italy,  from  the 
Shah  of  Persia  and  from  other  monarchs  of  Europe.  These 
are  the  tragedies  that  impelled  a  widow  in  a  small  town  in 
Massachusetts,  in  sending  her  mite  for  the  relief  of  the  unfor- 
tunate, to  write:  "Just  one  year  ago,  when  the  ill-fated  Titanic 
deprived  me  of  my  all,  the  Red  Cross  Society  lost  not  a  moment 
in  coming  to  my  aid." 

These  are  tragedies,  too,  that  have  prompted  wage-earners 
all  over  the  country  to  contribute  to  the  relief  of  the  flood 
sufferers  a  part  of  their  own  means  of  support  that  could  ill  be 
spared — soiled  and  worn  bills  and  silver  pieces  laid  down  with 
unspoken  sympathy  by  men  and  women  and  children,  too, 
who  wanted  nothing  said  about  it  and  turned  and  went  out 
to  face  the  struggle  for  existence  again.     These  people  did  not 


GREATEST  CATACLYSM  19 

think  twice  about  whether  they  should  help  those  in  greater 
necessity  than  their  own.  They  had  been  helping  one  another 
all  their  lives,  and  it  seemed  not  so  much  a  duty  as  a  natural 
thing  to  do  to  respond  to  the  call  from  the  West,  where  people 
had  lost  their  lives  and  others  were  homeless  and  suffering. 

THE    COURAGE    OF   THE    STRICKEN 

This  spirit  of  helpfulness  is  a  fine  thing.  But  even  finer  was 
the"  spirit  of  self-help.  Secretary  Garrison's  telegram  to 
President  Wilson  from  the  flooded  districts  that  the  people 
in  the  towns  and  cities  affected  had  the  situation  well  in  hand 
and  that  very  little  emergency  assistance  was  needed,  was  a 
splendid  testimonial  to  the  courage  and  the  resourcefulness 
of  the  people  of  the  Middle  West  and  the  admirable  cheerful- 
ness which  they  exhibited  during  the  trying  days  that  followed 
the  beginning  of  the  calamity.  There  was  not  a  whimper, 
but  on  the  contrary  there  was  a  spirit  of  optimism  that  must 
prove  to  be  most  stimulating  to  the  rest  of  the  country. 

MEN  THAT  SHOWED  THEMSELVES  HEROES 

But  perhaps  the  finest  thing  of  all  is  the  memory  of  the  heroes 
that  showed  themselves.  When  death  and  disaster,  in  the 
form  of  flood  and  fire,  swept  Dayton,  John  H.  Patterson 
arose  with  the  tide  to  the  level  of  events.  Patterson  is  the 
man,  more  than  any  other,  who  brought  cosmos  out  of  chaos. 
When  the  flood  was  rising  and  nobody  knew  what  the  result 
would  be,  John  H.  Patterson  began  to  wire  for  motor  boats. 
He  did  not  ask,  he  demanded.     And  the  motor  boats  came. 


20  GREATEST  CATACLYSM 

Patterson  took  all  of  the  carpenters  from  the  National  Cash 
Register — one  hundred  and  fifty  skilled  woodworkers — and 
set  them  to  work  making  flat  boats.  The  entire  force  of  the 
great  institution  was  at  the  disposal  of  the  people  who  needed 
help.  And  not  a  man  or  a  woman  was  docked  or  dropped  from 
the  payroll.     Everybody  had  time  and  a  third. 

As  for  John  H.  Patterson  himself,  he  worked  in  three  shifts 
of  eight  hours  each;  and  for  forty-eight  hours  he  practically 
neither  slept  nor  ate.  And  then,  by  way  of  rest,  he  took  a 
Turkish  bath  and  a  horseback  ride,  and  forty  winks,  and  was 
again  on  the  job — this  man  of  seventy,  who  has  known  how 
to  breathe  and  how  to  think  and  who  carries  with  him  the  body 
of  a  wrestler  and  the  lavish  heart  of  youth!        c 

There  were  many  other  heroes — too  many  to  mention  here — 
but  we  cannot  forget  John  A.  Bell,  the  telephone  operator  who 
was  driven  to  the  roof  of  the  building,  where  with  emergency 
instruments  he  cut  in  on  one  of  the  wires,  and  for  two  days 
and  nights,  in  the  driving  rain,  without  food  or  drink  or  dry 
clothing,  kept  the  outside  world  informed  as  to  what  was 
going  on  and  the  needs  of  the  sufferers.  What  Bell  endured 
during  those  long  hours  was  enough  to  kill  the  heart  in  a  very 
strong  man.  Yet  his  greeting  to  Governor  Cox,  over  the 
crippled  wire  Thursday  morning,  was:  "Good  morning, 
Governor.     The  sun  is  shining  in  Dayton."  •         ,    . 

Could  anything  be  finer!  Men  with  such  spirit  are  great 
men,  and  the  spirit  that  was  in  John  H.  Patterson  and  John 
A.  Bell  is  the  same  spirit  that  was  in  John  Jacob  Astor,  and 
Archie  Butt,  and  George  B.  Harris,  and  Charles  M.  Hayes, 


GREATEST  CATACLYSM  21 

and  the  band  of  musicians  on  the  Titanic  that  played  in  water 
waist  deep. 

As  I  stood  amid  the  slimy  ruins  of  Dayton  the  day  after 
the  waters  receded,  Brigadier-General  Wood  said  to  me/'  There 
go  Patterson  and  Bell.  Would  you  like  to  shake  hands  with 
them?"  And  I  said,  "Just  now  I  would  rather  shake  hands 
with  those  two  men  than  own  the  National  Cash  Register 
Company." 


The  Storms 

By  Chester  Firkins 

And  you  are  still  the  Master.    We  have  reared 

Cities  and  citadels  of  seeming  might, 

But  in  the  passing  of  a  single  night 
You  rend  them  unto  ruin.    We  who  feared 
Nor  flood  nor  wind  nor  wreckage  fire-seared, 

We  shudder  helpless  in  the  thunder-light ; 
The  garners  cherished  and  the  souls  endeared 

Emptied  and  sudden-slaughtered  in  our  sight. 

You,  whom  the  Cave  Man  battled,  whom  we  call 
Nature,  because  we  know  no  better  name, 
Goddess  of  gentleness  and  to  ture-flame, 

Still  are  you  desoot;  still  are  we  the  thrall; 

Still  we  can  only  wait  what  Fate  may  fall 

From  your  wild  pinions  that  no  man  can  tame. 

Nor  gold  or  gain,  nor  battlement  or  wall 
Shall  guard  us  from  the  primal  flood  and  flame. 

Our  castled  cities  tower  to  your  skies. 

'Gainst  wind  and  wave  we  pile  our  stone  and  mold. 

Powered  of  genius,  panoplied  of  gold, 
We  build  the  bastions  of  our  high  emprise. 
But  yet,  but  let  the  plunging  torrent  rise, 

The  winds  awake  on  glutted  rivers  rolled — 
We  die  as  the  reft  robin  fledgeling  dies — 

We  perish  as  the  beast  in  jungles  old. 

We  dream  that  we  are  conquerors  of  Earth; 

We  think  that  we  are  mighty,  that  we  dare 

Scorn  your  grim  power — till  we  glimpse  the  flare 
Of  burning  Death  'mid  holiness  of  Birth. 
What  is  our  godliness  and  wisdom  worth 

Against  your  strength  embattled  unaware? 
You  are  the  Master,  ever,  everywhere, 

Deadly  and  gentle  o'er  the  wide  World's  girth. 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Death-Bearing  Flood  at  Dayton 

extent  of  the  flood — the  reservoir  breaks — business 
section  flooded — thousands  marooned — many  creep 
to  safety  by  cable — john  h.  patterson,  cash  register 
head,  leads  relief — employees  assist  in  relief — 
scenes  of  horror — appeals  for  aid. 

T  remained  for  two  telephone  operators  to  be  the  real 
factors  in  giving  to  the  world  the  news  of  the  first  day 
of  the  flood  which  inundated  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  the 
whole  of  the  Miami  Valley  on  Tuesday,  March  25th.  One, 
in  the  main  exchange  at  Dayton,  flashed  the  last  tidings 
that  came  out  of  the  stricken  city  by  telephone,  and  deliv- 
ered to  Governor  Cox  news  which  enabled  him  to  grasp  the 
situation  and  start  the  rescue  work.  The  other  was  the 
operator  at  Phoneton,  who  served  as  a  relay  operator  for 
the  man  in  Dayton.  They  stood  to  their  posts  as  long 
as  the  wires  held,  and  worked  all  day  and  night. 

EXTENT   OF   THE   FLOOD 

A  seething  flood  of  water  from  eight  to  twenty  feet  deep 
covered  all  but  the  outlying  sections  of  the  city  by  the  evening 
of  the  25th. 

(23) 


24         DEATH-BEARING   FLOOD  AT  DAYTON 

Beneath  the  waters  and  within  the  ruined  buildings  lay 
the  unnumbered  dead.  The  flooded  districts  comprised  prac- 
tically a  circle  with  a  radius  of  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  in  no 
place  was  the  water  less  than  six  feet  deep.  In  Main  Street, 
in  the  downtown  section,  the  water  was  twenty  feet  deep. 

The  horror  of  the  flooded  district  was  heightened  by  more 
than  a  dozen  fires  which  could  be  seen  in  the  flooded  district, 
but  out  of  reach  of  fire  fighters. 

Most  of  the  business  houses  and  nearly  all  residences  had 
occupants.  Downtown  the  offices  were  filled  with  men,  fathers 
unable  to  get  home,  and  the  upper  floors  and  on  some  of  the 
roofs  of  the  residences  were  helpless  women  and  children. 
Hundreds  of  houses,  substantial  buildings  in  the  residence 
districts,  many  of  them  with  helpless  occupants,  were  washed 
away. 

The  water  in  the  Miami  River  began  rising  Monday  after- 
noon at  the  rate  of  six  inches  an  hour  and  continued  to  rise 
throughout  the  night.  The  first  break  in  the  levee  at  Dayton 
came  at  four  o'clock  Tuesday  morning  at  Stratford  Avenue. 
This  was  followed  by  other  breaks  at  East  Second  Street 
and  Fifth. 

THE    RESERVOIR   BREAKS 

But  the  severity  of  the  flood  that  hit  Dayton  was  due  to 
the  collapse  of  the  Loramie  reservoir  in  Shelby  County ^about 
seven  o'clock  on  Tuesday  morning,  hurling  millions  of  gal- 
lons of  water  into  the  swollen  Miami.  Rushing  down  the 
Miami   Valley,    the   water   carried   everything   before   it   at 


DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON 


25 


Piqua;  Troy,  Sidney,  Dayton,  Carrollton,  Miamisburg  and 
Hamilton. 

ThreeVrivers,  the  Miami,  Stillwater  and  Mad,  and  Wolf 
Creek  conjoin  in  the  heart  of  Dayton.     As  the  city,  partieu- 


where. the  levee.—- ... 


MAIN- 


Dmpaaaa: 


NORTHERN  PART  OF  DAYTON,  AND  WATER  COURSES  WHICH  OVERWHELMED  THE  CJTY 

larly  North  Dayton,  and  a  north  section  called  Riverside, 
lies  almost  on  a  level  with  the  four  streams,  it  is  protected 
from  high  water  by  levees  twenty-five  feet  high,  which  guide 
the  streams  through  the  city  from  its  northern  to  its  southern 
end. 


26         DEATH-BEARING   FLOOD  AT  DAYTON 

North  Dayton  is  a  manufacturing  and  residence  district. 
Riverdale  is  a  residence  district.  In  the  southern  part  of 
the  city,  on  fairly  high  ground,  is  the  great  plant  of  the 
National  Cash  Register  Company 

Wolf  Creek,  flowing  into  the  Miami  from  the  northwest, 
early  got  out  of  its  banks  and  added  to  the  flood  flowing  over 
the  floors  of  the  Williams  Street  and  Edgewater  Avenue 
bridges. 

Mad  River,  in  the  northern  section,  also  got  over  its  banks 
early.  All  of  North  Dayton,  save  the  extreme  uplands,  was 
inundated.  The  Miami  was  more  than  a  mile  wide  below 
the  city,  and  thousands  of  acres  were  inundated. 

BUSINESS   SECTION    FLOODED 

At  Third  and  Ludlow  Streets,  where  were  located  the  great 
Algonquin  Hotel,  a  magnificent  church,  the  great  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
building  and  the  Hotel  Atlas,  were  many  feet  of  water.  The 
central  portion  of  the  city  was  flooded,  and  the  beautiful 
residence  district,  lying  east  of  the  exclusive  boulevard 
district,  was  a  Venice. 

Hundreds  of  homes  were  filled  with  floating  furniture. 
The  citizens,  used  to  the  slow-creeping  floods  of  other  years, 
were  entirely  mystified  and  distracted  by  this  sudden,  hurt- 
ling, seething  flood  that  seemed  to  spring  by  night  from  the 
clouds  that  hovered  low  over  the  city  and  plunged  their  seas 
of  water  into  the  rivers  that  converge  in  the  very  heart  of 
Dayton. 

Railroad  and  wagon  bridges  over  the  Miami   River  were 


DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON         27 

swept  away.  The  telephone  operator  at  Phoneton  said  that 
from  his  window  in  the  station  he  had  seen  a  bridge  one 
mile  north  of  Dayton  collapse  and  another  bridge  crossing 
the  river  at  Tadmor,  eleven  miles  north  of  Dayton,  was 
expected  to  give  way  at  any  moment. 

Communication  between  Phoneton  and  Dayton,  the  opera- 
tor said,  was  only  intermittent,  as  the  only  available  wire  was 
being  used  by  the  linemen  in  their  efforts  to  restore  service. 

Troy  and  Tippecanoe  City,  north  of  Dayton,  were  both 
flooded  and  many  people  took  refuge  on  the  roofs  of  their 
homes. 

Below  Dayton  vast  acreages  were  seas  of  yellow.  Farms  were 
lakes,  roads  were  raceways  through  which  raced  the  swollen 
streams.  Telegraph  service  was  maimed,  and  all  sorts  of 
communication  was  well-nigh  impossible. 

THOUSANDS   MAROONED 

Crowded  in  the  upper  stories  of  tall  office  buildings  and 
residences,  two  miles  each  way  from  the  center  of  the  town, 
were  thousands  of  persons  whom  it  was  impossible  to  approach. 
At  Wyoming  Street,  three  miles  beyond  what  has  heretofore 
been  considered  the  danger  line,  water  was  running  eight  feet 
deep. 

The  Western  Union  operator  at  Dodson,  Ohio,  said  the 
office  was  filled  with  foreigners  who  had  fled  from  Dayton. 
Looters  were  shooting  people  down  in  the  streets,  accord- 
ing to  these  refugees.  They  also  reported  that  the  Fifth 
Street  bridge  at  Dayton  had  washed  down  against  the  rail- 


28  DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON 

road  bridge  and  arrangements  were  being  made  to  dynamite 
both  structures.  This  bridge  was  dynamited  in  the  after- 
noon, but  the  effect  was  not  felt  to  any  marked  degree. 

The  foreigners  who  sought  refuge  in  the  Dodson  telegraph 
office  were  panic-stricken  and  told  wild  stories  of  the  flood, 
saying  nearly  every  part  of  the  town  was  under  water  and  the 
conditions  becoming  more  serious. 

The  breaking  of  the  Tarleton  reservoir,  which  supplies 
the  drinking  water,  left  the  city  without  water  and  added 
great  danger  of  typhoid  in  the  use  of  flood  water. 

Frank  Purviance,  an  employee  of  the  Terre  Haute,  Indian- 
apolis and  Eastern  Traction  Company,  at  Dayton,  over  the 
long-distance  telephone  said  scores  had  been  drowned  there. 

"  They're  dying  like  rats  in  their  homes;  bodies  are  washing 
around  the  streets  and  there's  no  relief  in  sight,"  Purviance 
said. 

MANY  CREEP  TO  SAFETY  BY  CABLE 

At  Wyoming  Station,  on  the  South  Side,  where  the  National 
Cash  Register  Company  centered  its  efforts  at  rescue,  many 
saved  their  lives  by  creeping  on  a  telephone  cable,  a  hundred 
feet  above  the  flood. 

At  first  linemen  crept  along  the  cables,  carrying  tow  ropes 
to  which  flat-bottomed  boats  were  attached.  When  the  flood 
became  so  fierce  that  the  boats  no  longer  were  able  to  make 
way  against  it,  men  and  women  crept  along  the  cables  to  safety. 
Others,  less  daring,  saw  darkness  fall  and  gave  up  hope  of 
rescue. 


DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON         29 

Those  willing  to  risk  their  lives  in  the  attempt  to  rescue 
found  themselves  helpless  in  the  face  of  the  water. 

The  first  to  seek  safety  by  sliding  along  the  telegraph  con- 
duits was  a  man.  Then  came  four  women.  The  first  of  the 
women  was  Mrs.  Luella  Meyer.  She  was  a  widow  with  one 
son,  a  boy  in  knee-breeches. 

He  got  out  on  the  wire  and  with  the  agility  of  a  cat  was 
soon  across.  But  Mrs.  Meyers,  when  over  the  boiling  tor- 
rent, swayed  as  though  faint,  slipped  and  the  crowd  stood 
with  bated  breath.  *" 

By  a  lucky  chance  her  senses  came  back  to  her  so  that  she 
could  grasp  one  of  the  wires.  Hand  over  hand  she  was  able 
to  pull  herself  slowly  to  the  nearest  pole,  where  she  rested 
before  again  making  the  trial.  This  time  she  did  not  falter, 
but  when  she  was  picked  up  by  the  rescuers  at  the  farthest 
pole  toward  safety  she  was  limp  from  nervous  and  physical 
exhaustion.  •> 

Four  companies  of  the  Third  Regiment,  Ohio  National 
Guard,  spent  the  night  aiding  the  city  officials  in  rescuing 
families  in  the  flood-stricken  districts.  Telephone  and  rail- 
road service  was  interrupted  in  every  direction. 

John  Hadkins  and  James  Hosay,  privates  of  the  Ohio 
National  Guard,  were  drowned  while  in  acts  of  rescue.  The 
body  of  an  elderly  woman  floated  down  near  Wyoming 
Street  in  the  afternoon,  but  the  current  was  so  swift  that  it 
could  not  be  recovered.   •    - 

The  National  Cash  Register  Company's  plant,  on  a  high 
hill,  offered  the  only  haven  in  the  South  End.     Three  women 


30         DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON 

became  mothers  in  the  halls  of  its  office  buildings  during  the 
night. 

In  the  woodworking  department  of  the  National  Cash 
Register  Company  boats  were  being  turned  out  at  the  rate  of 
ten  an  hour,  and  these  were  rushed  to  where  the  waters  had 
crossed  Main  Street  in  a  sort  of  gully. 

But  the  waters  crept  up  and  the  strength  of  the  current  was 
far  too  strong  for  the  crude  punts,  though  they  were  the  best 
that  could  be  made  in  a  hurry. 

Trip  after  trip  was  made  and  hundreds  of  the  refugees  were 
taken  from  this  stretch  of  houses. 

JOHN  H.  PATTERSON,  CASH  REGISTER  HEAD,   LEADS  RELIEF 

Although  John  H.  Patterson,  president  of  the  National 
Cash  Register  Company  of  Dayton,  which  employs  more  than 
7,100  persons,  is  nearly  sixty-nine  years  old,  and  has  led  a 
life  of  unusual  activity,  he  was  out  in  a  rowboat  tugging  at 
the  oars  and  personally  helping  in  the  work  of  rescue.  His 
two  children,  Frederick  and  Miss  Dorothy,  both  in  their 
early  twenties,  likewise  were  so  engaged. 

When  despatches  came  from  Dayton  late  at  night  saying 
"the  only  organized  relief  movement  is  that  which  is 
being  conducted  by  the  National  Cash  Register  Company, r' 
those  who  knew  the  fighting  characteristics  of  the  head  of 
the  big  corporation  were  not  surprised  to  receive  the  addi- 
tional information  that  Mr.  Patterson  as  usual  was  conduct- 
ing the  business  of  rescue  and  relief  in  person. 

The  Dayton  despatches  in  relating  that  young  Frederick 


DEATH-BEARING   FLOOD  AT  DAYTON         31 

Patterson  "is  leading  rescue  parties"  and  that  Miss  Dorothy, 
"dressed  in  old  clothes  and  her  hair  streaming  with  water, 
stood  in  the  rain  for  hours  receiving  refugees,"  gave  a  notion 
that  the  children  are  one  with  the  sire. 

EMPLOYEES   ASSIST   IN   RELIEF 

The  Cash  Register  plant  is  outside  the  flood  zone.  As  soon 
as  the  waters  rushed  upon  the  city  John  Henry  Patterson 
turned  his  entire  force  into  a  relief  organization.  Every  wheel 
was  stopped  in  the  Cash  Register  plant  early  on  Tuesday 
morning  and  the  employees  were  set  to  work  by  Mr.  Patterson 
to  help  the  sufferers. 

Mr.  Patterson  bought  up  all  the  available  food  and  had  it 
carted  to  his  plant  to  feed  the  homeless.  Straw  was  quickly 
strewn  on  the  factory  floors,  thus  affording  dry  sleeping  places 
for  more  than  one  thousand  at  night.  Every  employee  of  the 
corporation  capable  of  working  on  boats  was  put  to  work 
at  boat  building. 

Mr.  Patterson  is  said  to  have  made  a  promise  long  ago  to 
his  wife,  who  was  Katherine  Beck,  a  school  teacher  of  Brook- 
line,  Mass.,  when  she  was  dying,  that  he  would  give  special 
care  to  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  his  women  and  girl 
employees.  The  dining  rooms  in  the  big  plant,  the  rest  and 
recreation  rooms  and  other  architectural  comforts  provided 
for  the  women  employees  as  a  result  of  this  promise  came  in 
very  well  in  the  rescue  work.  The  dining  rooms  and  the  rest 
and  recreation  rooms  all  were  used  as  eating  halls  in  helping 
the  sufferers. 


32  DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON 

While  Mr.  Patterson  was  out  pulling  at  the  oars  of  one  of 
his  boats  thirty-one  of  his  company's  automobiles  were  meet- 
ing the  craft  to  hurry  the  refugees  to  the  Cash  Register  plant 
and  to  dry  clothing,  food  and  beds. 

Mr.  Patterson  sent  out  an  appeal  for  immediate  food  sup- 
plies and  for  doctors  and  medicine.  By  night  three  thousand 
homeless  were  housed  in  improvised  quarters  in  the  Cash 
Register  offices. 

GIRL   IN    MAN'S   CLOTHING 

"What  is  your  name?"  asked  the  registrars  who  received 
the  refugees  at  the  National  Cash  Register  plant  of  a  slender 
young  person  in  men's  clothes. 

"Nora  Thuma,"  was  the  reply. 

"Nora?"  they  asked. 

"Yes,  I'm  a  girl,"  was  the  answer. 

She  had  put  on  a  man's  suit  in  order  to  cross  the  perilous 
span  of  wires  unhampered  by   skirts. 

She  came  in  with  Ralph  Myers,  his  wife  and  their  little 
baby.  Myers  had  climbed  a  telephone  wire  pole  first.  He 
let  down  a  rope  to  his  wife,  who  tied  to  it  a  meal  sack  which 
contained  their  baby,  three  months  old. 

Myers  pulled  the  rope  with  its  precious  burden  up  and  then 
let  it  down  again  to  aid  his  wife  to  ascend  from  her 
perilous  position. 

With  the  meal  sack  over  his  shoulder  and  his  wife  holding 
on  to  the  two  wires  he  walked  along  the  cable  a  full  block 
before  he  reached  safety. 


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DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON  33 

SCENES   OF   HORROR 

Scenes  of  indescribable  horror  were  reported  by  the  res- 
cuers under  Brigadier-General  George  H.  Wood.  Among  those 
who  perished  were  said  to  have  been  ten  members  of  the  Ohio 
National  Guard  who  were  guarding  a  bridge. 

One  man  marooned  with  his  family  on  the  roof  of  his  home 

shot  and  killed  his  wife  and  three  children  and  then  himself 

rather  than   suffer  death  in  the  flames,  according  to  a  report 

received  by  J.  J.  Munsell,  employment  superintendent  of  the 

National  Cash  Register  Company,  from  a  man  who  actually 

saw  the  occurrence.      The  bodies  floated  away  on  the  flood. 
Rescuers  tried  to  get  to  a  raft  that  bore  a  man  and  four 

women  that  whirled  like  a  spool  in  the  rapid  waters.     Then 

suddenly  the  raft  was  sucked  down  in  the  water  and  another 

chapter  was  added  to  the  tragedy. 

WOMAN   LEAPS   WITH   BABY 

George  H.  Schaefer,  a  rescuer  who  went  out  into  the  flood 
with  a  skiff  and  saved  a  woman  and  baby,  told  of  his  perilous 
trip. 

"A  house  that  had  been  torn  from  its  foundation  came 
floating  up  behind  us,"  said  Schaefer.  "The  woman  was 
frightened.     I  told  her  there  was  no  danger. 

"Suddenly  she  stood  up  and  jumped  over  with  her  baby 
in  her  arms.  She  went  straight  down  and  never  came  up 
again." 

Then  there  was  the  horror  that  William  Riley,  a  salesman 
for  the  National  Cash  Register  Company,  saw. 


34         DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON 

"We  saw  a  very  old  woman  standing  at  the  window  of  a 
house  waiting  for  rescue,"  said  Riley.  "We  rowed  up  to  her. 
Suddenly  the  house  parted  and  the  woman  was  engulfed.  It 
was  the  last  we  saw  of  her." 

There  was  the  man  who  was  nearly  rescued.  He  had 
stepped  into  the  skiff  and  then  walked  back  into  his  home, 
which  a  short  time  later  floated  away  with  him.  Incidents 
of  this  sort  were  multiplied. 

John  Scott  ascended  a  telegraph  pole  and  guided  across 
the  cable  to  places  of  safety  men,  women  and  children  res- 
cued from  flooded  houses. 

Scott  had  guided  a  dozen  persons  across  the  swaying 
bridges  of  wire  when  an  explosion  that  started  a  fire  occurred. 
The  shock  knocked  Scott  from  the  pole  and  he  fell  into  a 
tree. 

"The  last  I  saw  of  him  he  was  trying  to  get  into  the  win- 
dow of  an  abandoned  house  by  way  of  one  of  the  branches  of 
the  tree,"  said  Frank  Stevens,  a  fellow  employee  of  Scott. 
"The  house  was  in  the  path  of  the  fire." 

APPEALS   FOR   AID 

Thousands  of  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape 
the  first  rush  of  the  waters  were  fed  on  short  rations,  and 
appeals  for  help  were  sent  out  by  manj-  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  city. 

Three  carloads  of  foodstuffs  arrived  from  Xenia,  but  there 
was  no  chance  to  deliver  them  to  the  victims  of  the  flood 
until  the  following  day. 


DEATH-BEARING  FLOOD  AT  DAYTON         35 

CRUEL   NEED   FOR   AN   ARK 

Frank  Brandon,  vice-president  of  the  Dayton,  Lebanon  and 
Cincinnati  Railroad,  succeeded  during  the  night  in  getting 
communication  for  a  short  time  from  Dayton  to  Lebanon. 
He  said  that  the  situation  was  appalling  and  beyond  ail 
control. 

"According  to  my  advices,  the  situation  beggars  descrip- 
tion," said  Mr.  Brandon.  "What  the  people  need  most  of 
all  is  boats.  The  water  is  high  in  every  street  and  assistance 
late  this  afternoon  was  simply  out  of  the  question.  My 
superintendent  at  Dayton  told  me  that  at  least  sixty  had 
perished  and  probably  a  great  many  more,  at  the  same  time 
assuring  me  that  unless  something  that  closely  approached 
a  miracle  happened  the  death  list  would  run  considerably 
higher.  We  are  now  rigging  up  several  special  trains  and  will 
make  every  effort  possible  to  get  into  Dayton  tonight." 

It  was  on  these  scenes  of  indescribable  horror  that  the 
shades  of  night  closed  down. 


CHAPTER  III 

Dayton's  Menace  of  Fire  and  Famine 

fire  breaks  out — hundreds  imperiled  by  flames — the 
city  threatened — 70,000  imprisoned  by  the  water — 
"send  us  food!" — patterson  continues  rescue  work — 
phone  operator  bell  a  hero — experiences  of  the 
sufferers — instances    of    self-sacrifice — looters    at 

WORK. 

,CARCELY  had  the  appalling  horror  of  the  flood 
impressed  itself  on  the  stricken  people  of  Dayton 
before  a  new  danger  arose  to  strike  terror  to  their 
hearts — fire  that  could  not  be  fought  because  there  was  no 
way  to  reach  it  and  because  the  usual  means  for  fire-fighting 
were  paralyzed. 

FIRE   BREAKS   OUT 

One  fire  started  from  the  explosion  of  an  oil  tank  contain- 
ing hundreds  of  gallons  which  bumped  into  a  submerged 
building. 

The  fire  started  in  a   row   of  buildings   on   Third  Street 

near  Jefferson,  right  in  the  heart  of  the  business  section,  and 

not  far  from   the  Algonquin  Hotel,  the  Y.  M.   C.   A.,  and 

other  large  buildings. 

(36) 


THE  DAYTON  MENACE  37 

The  report  of  the  fire  was  sent  out  by  Wire  Chief  Green, 
of  the  Bell  Telephone  Company,  who  said  the  fire  was  then 
within  a  block  of  the  telephone  exchange  in  which  was  located 
John  A.  Bell,  who  for  more  than  twenty-four  hours  had  kept 
the  outside  world  informed  as  best  he  could  of  the  catastrophe 
in  Dayton. 

A.  J.  Seattle,  owner  of  the  house  in  which  the  fire  started 
after  a  gas  explosion,  was  blown  into  the  air  and  killed 
instantly. 

Mrs.  Shunk,  a  neighbor,  was  blown  out  of  her  home  into 
the  flood.  After  clinging  to  a  telegraph  pole  for  half  an  hour, 
she  finally  succumbed  and  was  sucked  under  the  waters. 

The  explosion  blew  a  stable  filled  with  hay  into  the  middle 
of  the  flooded  street  and  this  carried  the  flames  to  the  oppo- 
site side. 

The  next  house  to  burn  was  Harry  Lindsay's.  Then  Mary 
Kreidler's  and  then  the  home  of  Theodore  C.  Lindsay  and 
other  houses  that  had  been  carried  away  from  their  founda- 
tions floated  into  the  flames  and  soon  were  on  fire. 

The  floating  fires  burned  without  restraint  and  communi- 
cated flames  to  many  other  buildings  where  families  awaited 
help. 

The  Beckel  House  was  threatened  and  Jefferson  Street  was 
on  fire  on  its  east  side  from  Third  Street  as  far  down  as  the 
Western  Union  office.  Refugees  driven  from  their  places 
where  they  had  sought  safety  from  the  floods  were  leaping 
from  roof  to  roof  to  escape  the  new  terror.  The  fire  was 
rapidly  approaching  the  Home  Telephone  plant. 


38  THE  DAYTON  MENACE 

HUNDREDS   IMPERILED   BY   FLAMES 

Another  fire  which  started  from  an  explosion  in  the  Meyers 
Ice  Cream  Company  place,  near  Wyoming  Street,  spread  and 
burned  the  block  on  South  Park,  a  block  from  Wyoming. 

Flames,  starting  at  Vine  and  Main  Streets,  jumped  Main 
Street  and  the  houses  on  the  other  side  were  soon  aflame. 
In  the  middle  of  the  street  were  a  few  frame  houses  that 
had  been  washed  from  their  foundations.  These  were  swirled 
about  for  a  time,  and,  as  though  to  aid  in  the  passing  of  the 
section  by  fire,  they  were  cast  into  the  path  of  the  flames. 
Persons  hurried  from  their  roof  tops,  where  they  had  been 
driven  by  the  flood,  to  the  roof  tops  of  adjoining  houses. 

A  fire  that  appeared  to  threaten  the  entire  business  section 
was  confined  to  the  block  bounded  by  Second  and  Third 
Streets  and  Jefferson  and  St.  Clair  Streets.  In  the  block 
were  the  Fourth  National  Bank,  Lattirnan  Drug  Company, 
Evans'  Wholesale  Drug  Company  and  several  commission 
houses.     This  fire  subsided  somewhat  by  evening. 

Fire  broke  out  in  the  buildings  on  Broad  Street  and  many 
who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  upper  floors  were  threatened 
with  death  in  the  smoke  and  flames. 

Sixteen  persons  were  housed  in  the  Home  Telephone 
Building  with  a  block  and  tackle  rigged  as  a  means  of  egress 
if  the  fire  pressed  them. 

GOVERNOR    COX   AIDS 

It  was  reported  to  Governor  Cox  that  some  had  leaped 
from  the  buildings  into  the  flood.      The  Governor  received 


THE    DAYTON   MENACE  39 

word  via  Springfield  that  10,000  to  12,000  persons  were  in  the 
burning  buildings,  fighting  the  fire  by  water  lifted  in  buckets 
from  the  flood. 

Governor  Cox  asked  the  Associated  Press  to  notify  its 
West  Virginia  correspondents  to  get  in  touch  with  natural 
gas  companies  supplying  Dayton  with  gas  and  ask  them  to 
shut  off  the  supply  of  gas  in  Dayton,  as  the  gas  was  feeding 
the  conflagration  there. 

Pleading  that  troops  be  sent  to  Dayton  to  relieve  the  flood 
sufferers,  saying  that  their  need  was  imperative,  and  that  the 
town  was  at  the  mercy  of  looters  and  fires,  George  B.  Smith, 
president  of  the  chamber  of  commerce  of  Dayton,  who  escaped 
from  the  flooded  city,  wired  Governor  Cox  from  Arcanum. 

Governor  Cox,  following  the  information  that  Dayton  was 
on  fire  and  that  those  who  had  sought  refuge  in  the  upper 
stories  of  buildings  were  in  danger,  determined  at  six  o'clock 
to  reach  Dayton  with  troops  and  assistance. 

THE    CITY   THREATENED 

It  was  impossible  to  get  within  two  miles  of  the  fire,  and 
from  that  distance  it  appeared  that  explosions,  probably  of 
drugs,  made  the  fire  seem  of  larger  proportions  than  it  was. 
It  appeared  to  have  about  burned  itself  out,  and  it  was  not 
believed  it  would  spread  to  other  blocks. 

It  was  impossible  to  ascertain,  even  approximately,  the 
number  of  persons  who  might  have  been  marooned  in  this 
section  and  who  died  after  being  trapped  by  flood  and  fire. 

The  flames  at  night  cast  a  red  weird  glow  over  the  flood- 


40  THE   DAYTON   MENACE 

stricken  city  that  added  to  the  fears  of  thousands  of  refugees 
and  marooned  persons,  and  led  to  apprehension  that  there 
might  have  been  manj^  of  the  water's  prisoners  in  the  burned 
buildings. 

Fire  started  anew  at  nine  o'clock  at  night  and  burned 
fiercely. 

The  men,  women  and  children  marooned  in  the  Bcckel 
Hotel  were  terror  stricken  when  fire  threatened  the  building 
for  the  second  time  at  night.  Since  Tuesday  morning  two 
hundred  and  fifty  persons  had  been  in  the  place. 

Crowded  in  the  upper  stories  of  tall  office  buildings  and 
residences  in  Dayton,  two  miles  each  way  from  the  center 
of  the  town,  were  hundreds  of  persons  whom  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  approach.  Hundreds  of  fires  which  it  was  impossible 
to  fight  were  burning.  The  rescue  boats  were  unable  to 
get  farther  from  the  shore  than  the  throw  line  would  permit. 
They  could  not  five  in  the  current. 

At  midnight  residents  of  Dayton  watching  the  course  of 
the  flames  from  across  the  wide  stretch  of  flood  waters  believed 
the  fire  got  its  new  start  in  the  afternoon  in  the  store  of  the 
Patterson  Tool  and  Supply  Company,  on  Third  Street,  just 
east  of  Jefferson,  whence  it  ate  its  way  west,  apparently  aided 
by  escaping  gas  and  exploding  chemicals  in  two  wholesale 
drug  establishments. 

Throughout  the  night  fires  lighted  the  sky  and  illuminated 
the  rushing  waters.  Fifty  thousand  people  were  jammed  in 
the  upper  floors  of  their  homes,  with  no  gas,  no  drinking  water, 
no  light,  no  heat,  no  food. 


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THE  DAYTON  MENACE  41 

THE    CREST   OF   THE    FLOOD 

The  crest  of  the  Dayton  flood  passed  about  midnight,  but 
the  next  few  hours  allowed  no  appreciable  lowering  in  the 
water.  Wednesday  morning  brought  little  hope  of  immediate 
relief  to  those  who  spent  the  night  in  horror,  however,  and  it 
was  feared  that  the  number  of  drowned  had  been  greatly 
increased  during  the  twelve  hours  of  darkness. 

Cloudy  skies  and  a  cold  drizzling  rain  added  to  the  dismal 
aspect  of  the  city  in  the  morning.  The  temperature  fell 
steadily  all  night,  and  when  daylight  came  the  thermometers 
showed  that  it  was  only  three  degrees  above  freezing.  The 
condition  was  welcomed,  because  it  was  expected  that  a  hard 
freeze  would  aid  materially  in  holding  back  the  innumerable 
tributaries  of  the  flooded  streams  and  assist  the  earth  in 
retaining  the  moisture  that  had  been  soaked  into  it  steadily 
for  the  last  five  days. 

By  ten-thirty  the  water  depth  had  lessened  about  two  feet. 
All  stores  and  factories  in  the  main  part  of  the  town  were 
flooded  to  a  depth  of  from  eight  to  ten  feet.  Numerous 
residences  and  smaller  buildings  collapsed,  but  any  estimate 
of  the  property  loss  was  impossible. 

A  morgue  was  established  on  the  west  side  of  the  city,  and 
efforts  to  recover  the  bodies  and  aid  the  suffering  were  pushed 
as  rapidly  as  conditions  permitted.  Relief  trains  began  to 
arrive  in  the  stricken  towns. 

Adjutant-General  Speaks,  with  a  small  detachment  of 
troops  and  a  squad  of  linemen  and  operators,  left  Columbus 
early  Wednesday  in  an  effort  to  reach  Dayton .     The  attempt 


42  THE  DAYTON   MENACE 

was  made  by  means  of  motor  boats  and  automobiles  in  the 
hope  to  establish  adequate  telegraph  or  telephone  communi- 
cation with  Dayton. 

MARTIAL   LAW   ESTABLISHED 

A  message  from  Governor  Cox  ordered  the  entire  Ohio 
National  Guard  to  hold  itself  in  readiness  to  proceed  to  Day- 
ton as  soon  as  it  was  possible  to  enter  the  city. 

"I  understand  the  importance  of  having  the  militia  there/' 
he  telegraphed. 

Soon  afterward  notice  was  posted  in  headquarters  of  the 
emergency  committee  announcing  that  the  city  was  under 
martial  law,  and  several  companies  of  soldiers  arrived  from 
neighboring  Ohio  cities. 

The  soldiers  were  employed  to  patrol  edges  of  the  burned 
district,  and  prevent  looting  of  homes  freed  from  the  floods. 

The  hundreds  of  refugees  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building 
and  in  the  Algonquin  Hotel  were  facing  possible  short  rations. 
Their  food  supplies  were  becoming  limited  and  drinking  water 
was  at  a  premium. 

Forty  boats  were  requisitioned  by  the  city  authorities  and 
v.- ere  patroling  the  cit}'  in  an  effort  to  save  life  and  property. 
These  craft  were  manned  by  volunteers. 

In  front  of  the  Central  Union  Telegraph  office  the  water 
was  still  running  so  swiftly  that  horses  could  not  go  through 
it  without  swimming.  One  boat  went  by  with  two  men  in 
it,  rowing  desperately,  trying  to  keep  the  bow  to  the  waves. 
The  boat  overturned,   but  both  men  escaped  drowning  by 


THE  DAYTON   MENACE  43 

swimming  to  a  lamp  post.  They  clung  to  the  post  for  half  an 
hour  before  a  rope  could  be  thrown  to  them.  After  repeated 
casts  the  line  fell  near  enough  to  them  to  be  caught,  and  the 
men  were  drawn  into  the  second  story  window  of  the  building. 

The  telephone  employees  in  the  building  fished  chairs,  dry 
goods  boxes  and  a  quantity  of  other  floating  property  from 
the  flood.  The  debris  swept  down  the  main  business  street 
with  such  force  that  every  plate  glass  window  was  smashed. 

Only  one  sizable  building  had  collapsed  up  to  noon  so  far 
as  the  watchers  in  the  telephone  office  could  learn.  This 
structure,  an  old  one,  was  a  three-story  affair,  near  Ludlow 
Street,  occupied  by  a  harness  manufacturing  concern. 

70,000    IMPRISONED   BY   THE   WATER 

More  than  70,000  persons  either  were  unable  to  reach  their 
homes  or,  held  in  their  waterlocked  houses,  were  unable  to 
reach  land. 

While  those  marooned  in  the  offices  and  hotels  were  in  no 
immediate  danger  of  drowning  there  was  no  way  food  or 
drinking  water  could  reach  them  until  the  flood  receded. 
Those  in  the  residences,  however,  were  in  constant  danger 
both  by  flood  and  fire.  First  the  frailer  buildings  were  swept 
into  the  stream,  many  showing  the  faces  of  women  and  chil- 
dren peering  from  the  windows.  These  were  followed  by  more 
substantial  brick  buildings,  until  it  became  evident  that  no 
house  in  the  flood  zone  was  safe. 

The  houses  as  a  rule  lasted  but  a  few  blocks  before  disinte- 
grating. 


44  THE  DAYTON  MENACE 

Incidents  without  number  were  narrated  of  persons  in  the 
flooded  districts  waving  handkerchiefs  and  otherwise  signal- 
ing for  aid,  being  swept  away  before  the  eyes  of  the  watchers 
on  the  margin  of  the  waters.  Mam'  of  the  rescue  boats  were 
swept  by  the  current  against  what  had  been  fire  plugs,  trees 
and  houses.  They  were  crushed.  Canoes  and  rowboats 
shared  the  same  fate.  What  life  existed  in  the  district  which 
the  water  covered  was  in  constant  danger  and  helpless  until 
the  flood  subsided. 

Bodies  were  found  as  far  out  as  Wayne  Avenue,  which  is 
more  than  a  mile  from  the  river.  At  Fifth  and  Brown  Streets 
the  water  reached  a  height  of  ten  feet.  At  least  one  of^those 
drowned  met  death  in  the  Algonquin  Hotel. 

The  rumor  that  the  St.  Elizabeth  Hospital  with  600  patients 
had  been  swept  away,  which  gained  circulation  Tuesday 
night,  proved  to  have  been  false. 

Although  it  was  impossible  to  reach  the  hospital,  field 
glasses  showed  that  the  building  was  still  standing.  The 
water  was  not  thought  to  be  much  above  the  first  floor  of  the 
building,  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  patients  had  not  suffered. 

Da37'ton  was  practically  cut  off  from  wire  communication 
until  late  in  the  afternoon.  Then  two  wires  into  Cincinnati 
were  obtained  and  operators  plunged  into  great  piles  of  tele- 
grams from  Dayton  citizens,  almost  frantic  in  their  desire  to 
assure  friends  outside  of  their  safety.  Operators  at  opposite 
ends  of  the  wires  reported  that  thousands  of  telegrams  were 
piled  up  at  relay   offices.     Thes3   were   from  people  anxious 

rer  the  fate  of  Dayton  kinsmen. 


THE   DAYTON  MENACE  45 

Two  oarsmen  who  braved  the  current  that  swirled  through 
the  business  section  of  the  city  reported  that  the  water  at 
the  Algonquin  Hotel,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Third  and 
Ludlow  Streets,  was  fifteen  feet  deep.  From  windows  in  the 
hotels  and  business  buildings  hundreds  of  the  marooned 
begged  piteously  for  rescue  and  food.  The  oarsmen  said  they 
saw  no  bodies  floating  on  the  flood  tide,  but  declared  that 
many  persons  must  have  perished  in  the  waters'  sudden  rush 
through  the  streets. 

Oarsmen  who  worked  into  the  outskirts  of  the  business 
section  at  night  reported  that  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons 
marooned  in  the  Arcade  building  and  two  hundred  imprisoned 
in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  were  begging  for  water. 

"send  us  food!" 

Before  the  terror  of  fire  had  dwindled,  gaunt  huuger  thrust 
its  wolfish  head  on  the  scene.  Famine  became  an  immediate 
possibility.  All  of  the  supply  and  grocery  houses  were  in 
the  submerged  district  and  there  was  not  enough  bread  to 
last  the  survivors  another  day.  Every  grocer  in  the  city  was 
"sold  out"  before  noon. 

The  flood  came  with  such  suddenness  that  food  supplies 
in  homes  were  whisked  away  by  the  torrent  that  reached  to 
second  floors  in  almost  the  flash  of  an  eye.  Skiffs  skirted  the 
edge  of  the  flooded  districts  attempting  to  take  food  to  those 
whom  it  was  impossible  to  carry  off,  but  the  fierce  current 
discouragingly  retarded  this  work. 

"Food,  food,  food,"  was  the  appeal  that  reached  the  out- 


46  THE   DAYTON   MENACE 

.side  world  from  the  portions  of  Dayton  north  of  the  river?. 
The  plea  came  from  a  relief  committee  which  started  out  in 
boats  and  met  an  employee  of  the  American  Telegraph  and 
Telephone  Company,  who  attempted  to  drive  to  Dayton. 
The  telephone  man  immediately  "cut  in"  on  a  line  and  trans- 
mitted the  appeal. 

The  relief  committee  had  progressed  less  than  two  miles 
from  Dayton  when  they  met  the  telephone  employee.  They 
told  him  that  any  and  all  kinds  of  provisions  were  needed 
and  could  be  distributed,  but  the  relief  must  come  soon  if 
indescribable  suffering  was  to  be  avoided. 

Polke  officers  of  Dayton  who  were  able  to  get  about  at  all 
were  swearing  in  all  available  men  as  deputies,  commandeering 
provisions  and  charging  the  expense  to  the  State  of  Ohio. 
The  available  supplies  were  so  slender,  however,  that  thou- 
sands of  persons  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  were  already 
destitute.  Efforts  to  learn  the  condition  of  the  2,500  inmates 
of  the  old  soldiers'  home  on  the  wrest  side  brought  a  report 
that  the  institution  was  in  no  danger  because  of  its  location 
on  a  high  hill. 

Leon  A.  Smith,  one  of  the  relief  committee  in  North  Day- 
ton, was  sworn  in  as  a  deputy  justice  of  the  peace  with  power 
to  enlist  other  deputies  to  preserve  order,  guard  against 
crimes  and  relieve  distress. 

What  we  need  most,"  said  Mr.  Smith  over  the  telephone, 
is  food  for  the  living  and  assistance  in  recovering  and  bury- 
ing the  dead  before  an  epidemic  sets  in." 

Farmers  in  the  vicinity  offered  their  teams  to  haul  towards 


THE  DAYTON  MENACE  47 

Da3rton  any  supplies  that  could  be  gotten  together,  and  the 
housewives  of  the  countryside  denuded  their  pantries. 

Relief  committees  issued  the  following  statement: 

"An  awful  catastrophe  has  overtaken  Dayton.  The  cen- 
ters of  Dayton  and  the  residence  district  from  the  fair  grounds 
hill  to  the  high  ground  north  of  the  city  are  under  water. 

"Bring  potatoes,  rice,  beans,  vegetables,  meat  and  bread 
and  any  other  edibles  that  will  sustain  life. 

"We  have  cooking  arrangements  for  several  thousand. 
We  are  sending  trucks  to  nearby  towns,  but  ask  that  you  haul 
to  us,  as  far  as  possible." 

The  first  trainload  of  provisions  from  Cincinnati,  with  a 
detail  of  policemen  to  help  in  the  rescue  work,  reached  Day- 
ton after  being  twelve  hours  on  the  road.  This,  with  two 
cars  from  Springfield,  relieved  the  immediate  suffering.  Word 
also  was  received  that  a  carload  of  supplies  was  on  the  way 
from  Detroit. 

Encouragement  was  received  in  a  message  from  the  Mayor 
of  Springfield,  who  said  he  was  sending  six  big  trucks  loaded 
with  provisions  that  should  reach  Dayton  early  Thursday. 
With  the  arrival  of  motor  boats  Wednesday  night  it  was 
hoped  to  begin  to  distribute  provisions  among  the  marooned 
early  next  morning. 

Messages  from  the  flood's  prisoners  in  the  business  section 
said  children  were  crying  for  milk,  while  their  elders  suffered 
from  thirst  that  grew  hourly.  Volunteers  were  called  for  to 
man  boats  and  brave  the  dangerous  currents  in  an  attempt 
to  get  food  to  the  suffering. 


48  THE  DAYTON  MENACE 

PATTERSON   CONTINUES   RESCUE   WORK 

Rescue  work  efficiently  managed,  in  which  John  H.  Patter- 
son was  a  leading  spirit,  proceeded  smoothly  throughout  the 
day.  A  boat,  which  was  engaged  in  rescue  work,  capsized, 
and  all  of  the  crew  but  Frederick  Patterson,  son  of  John  H. 
Patterson,  were  drowned.  Young  Patterson  acted  as  captain 
of  the  crew. 

Missing  members  of  families  were  restored  to  their  loved 
ones  through  human  clearing  houses  established  at  several 
points  in  the  fringe  of  the  flood  district.  Great  ledgers  filled 
with  names  presided  over  b}r  volunteer  bank  clerks  were  at 
the  disposal  of  persons  seeking  missing  kinsmen.  If  these 
had  registered  in  the  clearing  house  their  addresses  were 
quickly  given  to  the  inquirer. 

Up  to  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  three  thousand  of  the 
homeless  were  housed  in  different  places  of  refuge,  most  of 
them  being  cared  for  at  the  plant  of  the  National  Cash 
Register  Company.  Scores  of  the  waters'  victims  were  being 
carried  from  their  places  of  imprisonment  late  in  the  evening, 
and  leaders  of  the  rescuing  parties  were  arranging  for  relays 
of  torch  bearers  to  light  the  work  during  the  night. 

The  powerful  current  on  each  cross  street  made  it  impossi- 
ble for  those  manning  the  rowboats  to  pass  a  street  crossing 
without  the  aid  of  tow  ropes.  Lines  were  stretched  in  many 
places  and  trolley  boat  paths  brought  many  victims  out. 
Every  automobile  in  the  city  was   pressed  into  service  and 

ed  to  meet  paths  and  take  the  refugees  at  once  to  the 
hospitals. 


THE  DAYTON  MENACE  49 

,  "Our  greatest  need  is  a  dozen  motor  boats  and  men  to  run 
them/'  was  the  message  contained  in  an  appeal  sent  out  by 
Mr.  Patterson.  Skiffs  and  rowboats  could  not  live  in  tor- 
rents rushing  through  the  city's  principal  streets. 

The  big  plant  of  the  National  Cash  Register  Company  was 
made  relief  headquarters.  As  persons  were  rescued  they 
were  taken  to  a  relief  sub-station,  where  their  names  were 
recorded  and  they  received  first  aid.  At  frequent  intervals 
these  lists  were  sent  to  relief  headquarters  and  announced  to 
crowds  who  waited  in  the  rain  for  hours. 
[  Two  expert  oarsmen,  Fred  Patterson  and  Nelson  Talbott, 
conquered  the  current  for  a  short  distance  on  Main  Street 
late  in  the  afternoon. 

"We  penetrated  to  almost  the  center  of  the  city/'  said 
Mr.  Patterson.  "  Everywhere  people  yelled  to  us  to  rescue 
them,  but  it  was  impossible,  for  we  were  barely  able  to  keep 
afloat.  Large  sums  of  money  were  offered  us  to  take  persons 
from  perilous  positions.  The  windows  of  the  Algonquin 
Hotel  seemed  filled  with  faces,  and  the  same  conditions  pre- 
vailed at  most  of  the  buildings  we  passed.  We  did  not  see 
any  bodies,  but  the  loss  of  life  must  have  been  great." 
//At  Xenia  a  relief  committee  was  organized  to  send  sup- 
plies to  Dayton.  All  the  churches  were  made  ready  for 
Dayton  refugees. 

PHONE    OPERATOR   BELL   A   HERO 

Two  employees  of  the  American  Telephone  and  Telegraph 
Company,  John    A.  Bell,  wire  chief  at  Dayton,  and  C.  D. 


50  THE   DAYTON  MENACE 

Williamson,  wire  chief  at  Phoneton,  Ohio,,  by  unprecedented 
devotion  to  duly  kept  Dayton  in  touch  with  the  world. 

At  midnight  they  had  been  on  duty  continuously  for  forty- 
eight  hours,  and,  although  there  was  no  prospect  of  their 
being  relieved,  they  gave  not  the  slightest  indication  of  any 
inclination  to  leave  their  posts. 

Bell  reached  the  Dayton  office  before  the  flood  broke 
on  Tuesday  morning.  The  water  came  with  such  sudden- 
ness that  all  batteries  and  power  were  out  of  commission 
before  any  measure  could  be  taken  to  protect  them.  This 
left  the  wires  without  current  and  effectually  cut  off  Dayton. 
Bell  rummaged  around  and  found  a  lineman's  "test  set.'' 
With  this  he  made  his  way  to  the  roof  of  the  building,  "cut 
in"  on  the  line  to  Phoneton  and  reported  to  Williamson, 
whose  batteries  were  still  in  condition.  Over  this  meagre 
equipment  messages  were  exchanged  by  means  of  the  under- 
ground wires  of  the  company,  which  held  up  until  after  the 
noon  hour  Tuesdav  before  the  cable  in  which  they  were 
incased  gave  way.  The  break,  however,  was  south  of  Dayton, 
and  Phoneton  was  still  in  touch  with  the  flooc-stricken  city. 

Except  for  brief  intervals,  Bell  remained  on  the  roof  of 
the  building  suffering  the  discomforts  of  pouring  rain  and  low 
temperature,  in  order  that  the  waiting  world  might  have  some 
word  from  Dayton. 

EXPERIENCES    OF   THE    SUFFERERS 

Late  in  the  afternoon  several  refugees  told  stories  that  gave 
an  insight  into  conditions  in  East  Dayton,  hitherto  unexplored. 


THE   DAYTON  MENACE  51 

The  flood  victims  declared  they  knew  of  no  loss  of  life  in  this 
section,  because  a  great  number  of  people  had  availed  them- 
selves of  warnings  and  fled. 

A  Mrs.  Van  Denberg,  who  remained  until  the  flood  envel- 
oped her  home,  when  rescued  declared  she  had  seen  no  bodies 
in  the  flood. 

Sixty-five  persons  were  marooned  in  the  central  police  sta- 
tion. Nothing  had  been  heard  from  Mayor  Phillips,  of  Day- 
ton, or  from  Brigadier-General  Wood,  marooned,  it  was 
believed,  in  North  Dayton. 

The  whole  story  of  the  Dayton  disaster  probably  never 
will  be  told — the  heroism  of  men;  the  martyrdom  of  women; 
the  mad  hysteria  that  seized  some  and  caused  them  to  jump 
into  the  flood  and  death;  the  torture  of  despair  that  gripped 
those  who,  imprisoned  in  their  homes  by  the  water,  waited  in 
vain  for  help  until  the  advancing  flames  came  and  destroyed 
them.  The  most  heartrending  feature  of  the  situation  was 
the  pitiable  terror  of  the  women  and  children.  Many  of 
them  sat  up  and  sobbed  through  the  night  refusing  to  believe 
that  their  fathers  had  been  drowned  in  the  satanic  waters. 

Mrs.  James  Cassidy  and  her  three  children  were  brought 
from  the  flood  last  night.  Mrs.  Cassidy  was  grief-stricken 
over  the  report  of  the  death  of  her  husband  by  drowning. 
Even  as  she  was  being  registered  there  was  brought  into 
rescue  headquarters  a  drenched  man  who  had  to  be  carried. 

"Jim!  Jim!"  suddenly  shrieked  the  woman.  "That's 
you,  Jim,  isn't  it?  You  aren't  dead,  Jim.  Say  you  aren't 
dead." 


52  THE   DAYTON  MENACE 

Jim  had  been  rescued  from  drowning.  The  return  of  James 
Cassidy  was  the  one  bit  of  joy  in  the  awful  gloom  at  the  res- 
cue headquarters,  where  gathered  the  victims  of  flood,  fire 
and  famine. 

CRAZED   BY   HER   EXPERIENCE 

A  woman,  maddened  by  the  horrors  of  the  day,  fought 
with  Bill  Riley  and  his  companion,  Charles  Wagner,  who  had 
rescued  her  in  a  boat. 

She  bit  Riley  in  the  hand  and  choked  Wagner,  who  sought 
to  restrain  her.  The  little  boat  swayed  and  was  on  the  point 
of  capsizing  when  the  woman  suddenly  became  calm  and  began 
to  pray. 

A  big  sturdy  man  cried  like  a  child  in  the  offices  of  the 
National  Cash  Register  Company.  He  had  been  to  the 
hospitals,  the  schools  where  refugees  are  housed  and  to  the 
churches — but  in  none  of  these  was  his  family. 

In  many  similar  cases  relatives  of  the  supposed  dead  were 
uncertain  as  to  the  fate  of  the  missing.  The  money  loss  was 
heavy,  but  nobody  cared  about  money  loss,  though  it  ran 
into  the  millions. 

In  this  hour  of  Dayton's  woe  money  apparently  was  the 
most  useless  thing  in  the  world. 

A  graphic  story  was  told  by  Edsy  Vincent,  a  member  of 
the  Dayton  fire  department.  His  engine  house  was  within  a 
few  doors  of  Taylor  Street,  where  the  break  of  the  levee 
occurred. 

The    department    watchers,     fearing    being    flood-bound, 


THE  DAYTON  MENACE  53 

sounded  the  fire  call  simultaneously  with  the  break  in  the 
levee. 

"When  the  horses,  which  were  hitched  in  record  time, 
reached  the  street,"  said  Vincent,  "we  were  met  by  a  wall 
cf  water  which  must  have  been  ten  feet  high.  The  driver 
was  forced  to  turn  and  flee  in  the  opposite  direction  to  save 
the  team  and  the  apparatus." 

INSTANCES   OF   SELF-SACRIFICE 

The  dark  colors  in  these  incidents  were  lightened  here  and 
there  by  stories  of  bravery  exhibited  by  many  of  the  flood 
prisoners. 

A  woman  with  three  children  marooned  in  the  upper  floor 
of  her  home  on  the  edge  of  the  business  district  called  to  the 
oarsmen: 

"I  know  you  can't  take  me  off!"  she  cried,  "but  for  the  love 
of  humanity  take  this  loaf  of  bread  and  jug  of  molasses  to 
Sarah  Pruyn  down  the  street;  I  know  she's  starving." 

Twice  the  boatmen  attempted  to  take  the  food,  but  waves 
that  eddied  about  the  submerged  house  hurled  them  back. 

LOOTERS   AT   WORK 

Numerous  stories  of  looting  were  told,  and  many  prisoners 
were  locked  up.  In  most  cases  these  had  entered  houses  and 
had  been  searching  for  valuables.  A  gang  of  roughs  went 
through  the  southern  part  of  the  city  late  at  night  instruct- 
ing the  people  to  extinguish  all  lights  for  fear  of  a  gas  explo- 
sion and  then  began  raiding.     The  police  disnersed  them. 


54  THE  DAYTON  MENACE 

^11  da}'  and  all  night  strings  of  automobiles  were  going 
back  and  forth.  Those  coming  to  Dayton  were  seeking 
friends  or  relatives.  Those  going  back  had  people  to  take 
back  with  them. 

At  night  the  temperature  dropped  suddenly.  A  blinding 
snowstorm  and  high  winds  followed  close  upon  the  fall  of  the 
thermometer.  The  blizzard  weather  caused  added  suffering. 
Survivors  who  escaped  the  horrors  of  a  flood  and  fire  stricken 
city  at  night  were  huddled  roofless  in  an  arctic  storm.  Count- 
less men,  women  and  children  were  marooned  in  the  storm 
who  had  had  no  warm  food  or  clothing  since  Tuesday  morning. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Dayton  in  the  Throes  of  Distress 

pitiable  condition  of  marooned — false  report  causes 
panic — the  flood  recedes — a  survey  of  the  flood's 
damage — martial  law  enforced — restoring  sanitation 
— feeding  the  homeless — patterson  continues  noble 
work — stories  of  survivors. 

"HEN  Thursday  morning  dawned  on  stricken  Dayton 
the  food  situation  which  had  threatened  to  become 
serious  was  relieved  temporarily  by  the  arrival  of 
a  special  train  from  Richmond,  Indiana,  bringing  seven  cars 
of  provisions.  Quartermaster  Logan  also  received  word  from 
the  United  States  Army  quartermaster  general  that  300,000 
rations  had  been  ordered  shipped  from  Chicago,  100  ranges 
and  one  complete  quartermaster  depot  from  Columbus, 
3,300  tents,  100  hospitals  tents  and  400  stoves  from  Phila- 
delphia, and  300,000  blankets  and  500  bedsacks  from  St. 
Louis  or  Cincinnati.  Quartermaster  Logan  was  authorized 
to  purchase  in  open  market  all  rations  needed. 

The  tiling  that  made  the  situation  most  difficult  for  concerted 
rescue  work  was  the  peculiar  geographical  situation  of  the 
town.    It  is  divided  into  six  sections:  central  Dayton,  compris- 
es) 


56 


IN  THE  THROES  OF  DISTRESS 


MAP  SHOWING  THE  RIVERS  AND  CREEKS  WHICH  RUN  THROUGH  DAYTON.  AND  THE  PRINCIPAL 

SECTIONS  OF  THE  emf 


IN  THE  THROES  OF  DISTRESS  57 

ing  the  down-town  business  district;  West  Dayton,  the 
territory  extending  several  miles  west  of  the  big  Miami; 
Riverdale,  the  northeast,  across  the  river  from  the  central 
district;  Dayton  View,  the  extreme  northeast;  Southern 
Dayton,  the  manufacturing  district  in  which  the  National 
Cash  Register  Company's  plant  is  located  and  separated 
from  the  central  district  by  lowlands  which  were  deep  in  flood 
water,  and  North  Dayton,  northwest  of  the  business  district, 
across  the  river  from  the  business  section. 

PITIABLE    CONDITION    OF   MAROONED 

The  river  forms  a  horseshoe  around  the  business  district, 
making  it  impossible  to  reach  that  part  until  the  torrents  that 
poured  down  the  valley  should  recede. 

Dayton  View,  West  Dayton  and  Riverdale  were  the  only 
sections  between  which  communication  was  possible. 

The  suburb  of  Riverdale  up  to  Helena  Street  was  penetrated 
by  the  down-town  relief  commission  and  conditions  found 
much  similar  to  those  in  the  southern  suburbs.  Everyone 
was  crowded  to  the  second  floors  or  roofs  of  their  homes,  but 
few  of  the  more  stable  dwellings  were  washed  away. 

North  of  Burns  Avenue  as  far  as  Fourth  Street  the  water 
was  found  to  be  from  three  to  six  feet  deep.  Beyond  Fourth 
Street  the  water  had  receded  to  make  it  possible  in  many 
places  to  proceed  on  foot. 

Nothing  was  known  of  the  foreign  settlement  in  North 
Dayton  close  to  the  Miami  River.  It  was  this  part  of  the 
city  where  the  flood  first  made  its  way  and  where  the  occupants 


IN   THE  THROES   OF  DISTRESS 

of  the  houses  had  ignored  warnings  to  leave.  It  was  here  also 
that  it  was  feared  most  of  the  deaths  would  occur.  The  only 
bod}'  found  on  Thursday  was  that  of  Charles  Parker,  a  livery 
rnan;  discovered  in  the  court  house  yard. 

Captain  of  Police  H.  E.  Lackhart  declared  that  water  in 
North  Daj'ton,  Miami  City  and  East  Dayton  reached  the 
housetops.  His  estimate  of  the  number  of  dead  in  that  dis- 
trict was  three  hundred. 

The  bodies  of  a  woman  and  a  babv  were  seen  floating  down 
Jefferson  Street,  one  of  Dayton's  main  thoroughfares.  It  was 
thought  that  the}'  came  from  the  district  north  of  the  river. 

A  report  which  had  been  current  in  the  water  district  south 
of  Main  Street  that  Brigadier-General  Wood  had  been  fatally 
injured  hy  falling  plate  glass,  proved  to  tbe  untrue.  He  con- 
tinued in  full  charge  of  the  relief  work,  although  his  arm  had 
been  badly  cut. 

Parts  of  Main  Street  were  impassable  because  of  debris. 

At  several  points  it  comprised  outbuildings  that  had  struck 

more  stable  buildings  and  been  dashed  to  pieces. 

Hourly  apprehension  for  the  appalling  sights  to  be  uncov- 
ered when  the  waters  return  to  normal  was  growing. 

PLANS   FOIt    FIGHTING   PESTILENCE 

Pestilence  was  feared  and  sanitary  and  health  ofhcials 
mapped  out  their  work.  Sewers  were  burst  by  the  flood,  man- 
holes were  simply  blown  from  the  earth,  and  it  was  realized 
that  many  days  must  elapse  before  the  water  service  could  be 
restored  and  before  street  car  companies  could  operate. 


IN  THE   THROES  OF  DISTRESS  59 

Because  of  the  lack  of  electric  lights,  and  as  a  precau- 
tion against  looting,  military  notices  were  posted,  forbidding 
citizens  to  be  on  the  streets  between  the  hours  of  6  p.  m. 
and  5  a.  m. 

Word  was  received  that  a  number  of  motor  boats  with 
men  to  operate  them  were  on  the  way  from  Cleveland  and 
Cincinnati. 

The  water  receded  rapidly  during  the  day.  An  occasional 
snow  flurry  and  biting  gusts  of  wind  added  to  the  discomfort 
of  the  rescue  crews,  but  they  remained  steadily  at  work. 

The  Emergency  Committee  began  publication  of  an  official 
newspaper  from  the  plant  of  the  National  Cash  Register 
Company.  It  was  a  one-sheet  poster  designed  for  free  circula- 
tion in  all  accessible  parts  of  the  city.  Its  leading  article 
warned  the  people  to  beware  of  thieves  and  burglars. 

A  thief  was  caught  robbing  homes  of  flood  victims  who  had 
been  taken  to  refuge  stations.  He  was  shot  to  death  by  state 
guardsmen. 

The  progress  of  the  first  canoe  into  the  water-bound  district 
was  greeted  by  appeals  for  bread  and  water.  In  nearly  every 
house  left  standing  wistful  faces  were  to  be  seen  pressed  against 
window  panes.  All  of  these  were  asked  whether  there  had 
been  any  deaths  and  with  only  a  few  exceptions  all  replied  that 
there  had  not. 

Temporary  morgues  were  established  in  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church  and  also  at  Fifth  and  Eagle  Streets.  At  these 
points  many  bodies  were  cared  for,  chiefly  those  of  women  and 
children. 


60  IN  THE  THROES   OF  DISTRESS 

FALSE  REPORT  CAUSES  PANIC 

Needless  suffering  was  caused  during  the  day  by  an 
announcement  of  the  breaking  of  the  Lewistown  reservoir. 
Men  rushed  through  the  uptown  streets  shouting: 

"Run  for  your  lives!     The  reservoir  has  broken !" 

There  was  really  no  danger.  The  reservoir  contained  17,000 
acres  of  water  space,  but  it  was  pointed  out  that  the  flood 
extended  over  several  million  acres  and  the  worst  possible 
effect  of  the  breaking  of  the  reservoir  would  be  to  retard  the 
rescues  and  could  not  cause  a  rise  of  more  than  a  foot.  The 
waters  at  the  time  were  seven  feet  lower  than  the  high  water 
of  Tuesday  night. 

The  alarm  was  spread  by  a  policeman  who  was  posted  on 
the  edge  of  the  flood  district.  Others  were  quick  to  take  up 
the  ciy. 

Soon  thousands  of  men  and  women  crowded  the  streets. 
Many  of  them  fled  for  the  hills,  but  hundreds  hurled  them- 
selves past  guards  and  into  the  main  office  building  of  the 
National  Cash  Register  Building,  which  was  already  crowded. 

Not  until  John  H.  Patterson,  president  of  the  company, 
had  addressed  the  throng  was  any  semblance  of  order  restored. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  appointed  military  aide  in  the  southeast 
district  of  the  city,  with  full  control  under  martial  law.  He 
at  once  ordered  every  available  motor  car  and  truck  to  scour 
the  farmhouses  south  of  the  city  and  confiscate  all  available 
food  supplies. 

Colonel  H.  G.  Catrow  arrived  with  his  military  aides  from 
Columbus  in  the  afternoon  and  took  charge  of  the  militiamen. 


IN  THE  THROES   OF  DISTRESS  61 

SIGHTSEERS   BARRED   FROM    CITY 

Sightseers  of  Springfield  who  sought  to  visit  Dayton  received 
a  rude  shock.  On  the  first  train  to  the  stricken  city  from 
Springfield  were  fifty  linemen  and  three  coaches  full  of  people 
on  a  sightseeing  tour. 

The  Governor  learned  of  this  and  on  his  orders  when  the 
train  reached  Dayton  two  soldiers  were  stationed  at  each 
car  door  and  none  but  linemen  were  permitted  to  alight.  The 
train  was  then  run  back  to  Springfield  with  its  disappointed 
passengers. 

The  Governor  then  ordered  guardsmen  at  Springfield  to  let 
none  board  trains  for  Dayton  who  did  not  have  a  military 
pass.  The  purpose  in  this  was  to  prevent  idle  visitors  draining 
the  limited  food  resources  of  Dayton. 

DYNAMITE    AND   LIME    SENT 

Dynamite,  gasoline  and  lime  were  sent  from  Springfield 
as  supplies  for  the  sanitary  corps  ordered  there  to  prevent 
the  spread  of  disease  and  a  feared  epidemic.  The  dynamite 
was  needed  to  blow  up  dangerous  obstructions,  the  gasoline 
to  burn  rubbish  and  the  lime  for  disinfecting  purposes. 

Mutiny  broke  out  in  the  city  workhouse,  where  one  hundred 
prisoners  were  confined.  Terror-stricken  by  the  flood  and 
fire,  the  prisoners  were  demanding  freedom. 

They  beat  at  their  cell  doors  and  shouted  imprecations  at 
their  keepers.  Superintendent  Johnson  applied  to  the  militia 
for  help.  One  workhouse  prisoner  was  released  because  he 
knew  how  to  run  the  water-works  pumps. 


62  IN  THE   THROES   OF  DISTRESS 

The  two  hundred  and  fifty  guests  of  the  Algonquin  Hotel 
were  kept  comfortable  except  for  the  continuous  dread  that 
the  fire  would  spread  to  them.  The  water  reached  the  second 
floor,  but  all  the  supplies  had  been  moved  to  places  of  safety, 
and  those  in  the  hotel  experienced  little  discomfort. 

From  Fourth  Street  to  the  Miami  River,  relief  work 
was  taken  up  b}r  a  committee  headed  by  Chief  of  Police 
Allaback.  All  of  the  grocery  stores  were  commandeered  and, 
although  in  most  cases  the  goods  were  covered  with  water,  yet 
sufficient  supplies  were  found  to  prevent  great  suffering 
among  those  in  the  interior  dry  strip. 

SUFFERERS    CHEERFUL 

One  of  the  remarkable  features  was  the  cheerful  spirit 
with  which  flood  victims  viewed  their  plight.  This  was 
Da3rton's  first  big  flood  in  many  years.  Much  of  the  sub- 
merged area  had  been  considered  safe,  but  as  the  majority 
of  residents  of  these  sections  looked  out  on  all  sides  upon  a 
great  sweep  of  muddy,  swiftly  moving  water,  they  seemed 
undisturbed. 

In  some  of  the  poorer  sections  the  attitude  of  the  marooned 
was  not  so  cheerful.  As  a  motor  boat  passed  beneath  the 
second  floor  at  one  partly  submerged  house,  a  man  leaned 
out  and  threatened  to  shoot  the  boat's  occupants  unless  they 
rescued  his  wife  and  a  baby  that  had  been  born  the  day  before. 
The  woman,  almost  dying,  was  let  from  the  window  by  a 
rope  and  taken  to  a  place  of  refuge. 

Further  on,  members  of  a  motor  boat  party  were  startled 


IN  THE  THROES  OF  DISTRESS  63 

by  shots  in  the  second  floor  of  a  house,  about  which  five  feet, 
of  water  swirled.  The  boat  was  stopped  and  a  man  peered 
from  a  window. 

"  Why  are  you  shooting?"  he  was  asked. 
-  "Oh,   just  amusing  myself,   shooting  at   rats  that  come 
upstairs.     When  are  you  going  to  take  me  out  of  here?"  he 
replied. 

Three  babies  were  born  in  one  church  during  the  afternoon. 
One  was  born  in  a  boat  while  its  mother  was  being  conveyed 
to  safety.     Such  scenes  were  common. 

WOMEN   BECAME   HYSTERICAL 

At  the  rescue  stations  the  scenes  enacted  were  heart- 
rending and  the  most  pitiful  were  witnessed  at  the  temporary 
morgues.  At  the  West  Dayton  morgue  frantic  crowds  all 
day  and  night  watched  every  body  brought  in,  hoping 
against  hope  it  was  not  that  of  some  loved  one. 

Women  became  hysterical  at  times  when  searching  for 
missing  members  of  their  families  whom  they  had  failed  to 
find  at  the  relief  stations. 

With  the  coining  of  nightfall  Thursday  the  efforts  to  rescue 
more  persons  were  slackened,  and  all  of  Dayton  not  in  the 
central  flood  districts  waited  in  dread  for  the  nightly  fires 
which  had  added  horrors  to  the  already  terrible  situation. 

The  flood  situation  at  night  appeared  brighter  than  in  the 
morning.  The  water  had  fallen  from  three  to  five  feet,  the 
currents  of  the  river  and  creek  had  slackened,  and  there  was 
food  enough  left  for  the  town's  breakfast  and  dinner. 


64  IN  THE  THROES   OF  DISTRESS 

As  Galveston  and  San  Francisco  pulled  themselves  together 
after  calamity  so  Dayton  began  pulling  itself  together  on 
Friday  of  the  week  of  the  flood.  Emerging  from  the  waters 
and  privation,  citizens  began  co-operating  with  those  who 
rushed  to  the  rescue  from  outside.  Considerable  progress 
was  made  toward  the  restoration  of  order  and  in  giving  relief 
to  those  in  the  worst  distress. 

Much  cheer  was  taken  from  the  fact  that  so  far  as  loss  of 
life  was  concerned  it  was  not  so  great  as  had  been  feared, 
though  no  exact  estimates  were  yet  calculable. 

Financially  the  citizens  had  a  great  burden  to  bear.  Investi- 
gators on  Friday  put  the  figures  of  the  losses  at  double  that  of 
the  previous  day,  making  it  $50,000,000. 

THE    FLOOD   RECEDES 

The  down-town  district  was  practically  free  of  water.  Fire 
engines  pumped  out  the  basement  of  the  Algonquin  Hotel, 
that  the  Algonquin's  artesian  well  supply  might  be  pumped 
into  the  empty  city  water  mains  for  fire  protection. 

Water  was  still  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  deep  in  certain 
districts  of  the  west  side.  A  mile  of  residences  on  Linwood 
Avenue  had  been  swept  clear  and  nothing  remained  to  indicate 
that  the  street  had  existed. 

A   SURVEY   OF   THE   FLOOD'S   DAMAGE 

In  a  tour  of  the  business  sections  it  was  found  that  the  high 
stage  of  the  flood  had  been  nine  feet  at  Third  and  Main 

<trr«^    the  ] -•'  of  (b'.j  '-Ma 


IN  THE  THROES  OF  DISTRESS  65 

The  tower  of  Steele  High  School  was  levelled  and  the 
Leonard  Building  on  Main  Street  was  undermined  so  that  it 
collapsed.     Other  buildings  stood  up. 

The  following  buildings  were  found  to  have  withstood  the 
flood,  furnishing  shelter  to  about  7,000  people  who  were 
marooned  in  them  since  Tuesday:  Conover  Building,  Kuhns 
Building,  The  Arcade,  two  Cappel  Buildings,  Callahan 
Bank  Building,  Schwind  Building,  Commercial  Building, 
Mendenhall  Building,  Rike  Kumler  Building,  Reibold  Build- 
ing, Elder  &  Johnson's  building  and  United  Brethren  Publish- 
ing Company's  building. 

NO   PUBLIC   BUILDINGS   GONE 

None  of  the  public  buildings  was  destroyed.  Among 
these  buildings  were  the  Dayton  Club,  Victoria,  National 
and  Colonial  theatres,  city  hall,  court  house,  Beckel,  Phillips, 
Algonquin  and  Atlas  hotels,  Masonic  temple,  post  office, 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  various  churches. 

The  Log  Cabin,  115  years  old,  the  first  house  built  in  Dayton, 
still  stood,  although  it  is  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Miami, 
right  in  the  path  of  the  flood. 

The  electric  light  and  gas  plants  were  safe  from  the  high 
water.  The  city's  water  comes  from  a  reservoir  high  above 
the  river. 

In  Dayton  less  than  one  hundred  bodies  had  been  recovered 
by  Friday  night,  though  thousands  were  missing.  The  fire 
was  out,  however,  and  the  flood  had  so  receded  that  relief 
boats  were  able  to  get  to _  practically  all  parts  of  the  city. 


66  IN  THE  THROES   OF  DISTRESS 

MOST    HOUSES    WRECKED 

Every  house  in  the  flooded  district  was  practically  ruined. 
Streets  were  so  clogged  with  wreckage  that  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  get  through  them. 

"Strange  to  say,  there  was  not  much  suffering  in  our  particu- 
lar neighborhood,"  declared  George  Armstrong,  who  had  been 
marooned  in  the  Capell  furniture  store  building.  "There 
was  one  woman  with  a  three-weeks-old  baby.  We  took 
excellent  care  of  her.  And  did  we  pray?  There  never  were 
such  prayers  in  church.  We  had  a  case  of  whiskey  and 
offered  to  send  it  off  to  persons  who  seemed  exhausted.  They 
refused  to  take  it,  although  ordinarily  they  are  not  teeto- 
tallers." 

BOATMEN   TOUR   DISTRICTS 

Members  of  the  United  States  life-saving  crew  of  Louisville 
navigated  sections  of  flooded  Dayton  heretofore  unexplored, 
reporting  conditions  in  North  Dayton  and  Riverdale  quite 
as  deplorable  as  the  first  estimates  concerning  suffering 
were  concerned. 

Cruising  the  southern  end  of  Riverdale,  where  it  was 
feared  there  would  be  found  a  big  death  list,  Captain  Gil- 
looly,  in  charge  of  the  crew  from  the  United  States  life 
saving  station  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  reported  conditions  parallel- 
ing those  in  other  sections  of  the  stricken  city,  but  only  two 
bodies  were  reported  as  having  been  recovered.  The  flooded 
territory  in  Riverdale,  which  is  a  section  of  substantial  home 
owners,  was  approximately  seventeen  blocks  long  and  seven 
blocks  wi'de. 


IN  THE  THROES   OF  DISTRESS  67 

After  having  descended  the  Miami  River,  Captain  Gillooly 
reported  that  in  the  south  central  section  of  Dayton,  where 
the  flood  flowed  wildest  on  Tuesday  night  and  Wednesday, 
thousands  of  persons  still  were  imprisoned  in  upper  floors  of 
their  homes.  He  stated  that  from  numerous  inquiries  among 
people  whose  residences  had  been  inundated  it  appeared  the 
life  loss  would  not  be  nearly  so  large  as  it  was  placed  by  first 
reports. 

This  section  still  was  flooded,  although  the  water  rapidly 
was  receding,  and  while  a  few  corpses  eddied  out  from  the 
flood's  edge,  yet  in  the  center  of  the  area  it  was  stated  that 
only  two  bodies  had  been  seen. 

DRINKING   WATER    DISTRIBUTED 

Captain  Gillooly  and  his  men  distributed  food  and  quanti- 
ties of  drinking  water  to  a  large  number  of  the  flood's  prisoners. 
Arrangements  also  were  made  to  provide  the  needy  ones  with 
the  necessary  supplies  from  time  to  time  until  the  flood  waters 
receded. 

At  many  different  points  along  the  route  stops  were  made 
and  the  crew  detoured  away  from  the  rivers.  It  was  found 
that  many  of  these  detours  could  be  made  afoot,  the  water 
having  rapidly  fallen  since  the  night.  At  no  place  was  the 
water  behind  the  levees  deeper  than  four  feet. 

The  Louisville  men  took  relief  to  several  hundred  families 
in  the  low  district  in  the  vicinity  of  Ludlow  and  Franklin 
Streets.  Here  the  water  had  reached  the  roofs  of  all  two-story 
buildings.      Only  a  few  of  the  most  desperate  cases  were 


68  IN  THE  THROES  OF  DISTRESS 

brought  out,  the  first  move  being  to  leave  bread  and  water 
in  as  many  places  as  possible. 

Sixty  Catholic  sisters  at  the  Academy  of  the  Sisters  of  Notre 
Dame  and  eighteen  persons  for  whom  they  had  provided 
refuge  were  found  to  have  been  without  food  or  water  since 
Tuesday.  There  were  several  cases  of  illness,  and  the  suffering 
had  been  intense.  The  life  savers  left  bread  and  water  and 
planned  to  take  further  help. 

Meanwhile  Capt.  H.  A.  Hansen  and  the  crew  from  Cleve- 
land were  operating  several  boats  in  North  Dayton.  There 
many  of  the  poorer  class  live,  and  few  of  the  buildings  were 
substantial.  Dozens  of  them  were  swept  away,  upturned 
and  shattered. 

Mayor  Phillips  was  still  marooned  in  his  house,  and  G.  B. 
Smith,  president  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  continued 
in  active  aid  of  relief  operations. 

The  Fourth  National  Bank  Building,  which  was  reported 
several  times  to  have  been  destroyed  by  fire,  was  found 
untouched  by  the  flames,  although  a  building  immediately 
adjoining  was  burned.  The  newspaper  offices,  the  News  and 
Herald  and  Journal  buildings,  were  safe,  but  none  was  issuing 
papers. 

The  Cleveland  battalion  of  engineers  were  the  first  of  a 
horde  of  troops  which  began  to  pour  into  Dayton  in  the 
morning.  They  were  immediately  put  at  work  distilling  the 
water.  The  fifteen  men  of  the  Davton  Ohio  National 
Guard  companies,  who  had  been  on  duty  since  midnight 
Tuesday,  frankly  had  been  unable  to  cope  with  the  situation. 


IN  THE  THROES   OF  DISTRESS  69 

The  police  force  was  also  depleted  by  the  fact  that  many  of 
its  members  had  been  marooned  by  high  water.  The  looter 
had  been  in  high  glee. 

MARTIAL    LAW    ENFORCED 

Strict  martial  law  was  put  into  force.  With  headquarters 
at  Bamberger  Park,  Col.  Zimmerman  of  the  Fifth  Ohio 
Regiment  organized  the  forces  of  protection,  and  by  noon 
every  accessible  section  was  under  strict  guard.  Frequent 
fights  and  skirmishes  were  held  with  the  pillagers,  who  sought 
to  steal  under  the  cover  of  darkness.  Orders  to  shoot  to  kill 
looters  on  the  third  shot  were  issued  to  the  militiamen.  The 
pillaging  of  abandoned  homes  and  stores  and  the  slugging 
and  robbing  of  men  and  women  in  the  streets  after  nightfall 
had  reached  a  desperate  stage  when  the  troops  arrived,  and 
drastic  orders  were  necessary. 

"  Shoot  at  the  legs  first,  and  then  shoot  to  kill,"  was  the 
way  the  soldiers  were  instructed  to  act. 

Colonel  Zimmerman  listened  to  thousands  who  sought 
passes  to  go  through  the  flood  area  to  reach  marooned  friends 
and  kinsmen.  Only  a  few  were  allowed  to  go,  and  these  were 
compelled  to  prove  special  causes.  To  those  who  asserted 
they  had  starving  friends,  Colonel  Zimmerman  rejoined  that 
provisions  and  medicines  constantly  were  going  into  the 
inundated  district. 

"Be  satisfied  you're  not  dead  yet,"  was  the  Colonel's 
disposition  of  many  of  the  applicants. 

All   during   the   night  and  until  dawn  revolver  and  rifle 


70  IN  THE  THROES  OF  DISTRESS 

shots  had  sounded.  Most  of  the  shooting  was  in  the  bottoms 
near  the  river,  but  about  midnight  there  was  a  lively  volley 
of  shots,  evidently  an  exchange  of  bullets,  believed  to  have 
been  between  soldiers  and  pillagers. 

A  robbery  was  thwarted  when  the  police  arrested  a  man  who 
was  escaping  from  the  city  with  a  satchel  containing  $50,000 
in  diamonds  and  jewelry  which  he  had  stolen  from  downtown 
jewelry  shops. 

"Beware  of  thieves  and  burglars,"  said  an  official  bulletin 
given  wide  circulation.  "Don't  leave  your  houses  without 
protection.  It  was  thieves  who  scared  you  about  the  reservoir 
and  natural  gas  explosion.  The  natural  gas  has  been  turned 
off  and  there  is  no  danger  of  explosions." 

REFUGEES   IN   FIGHTS 

At  three  o'clock  Friday  morning  it  was  unofficially 
announced  that  three  pillagers  had  been  shot  to  death  in 
various  parts  of  the  city  during  the  night. 

Over  in  North  Dayton,  when  the  lowlands  were  inundated 
by  the  rush  of  the  waters  of  the  Mad  River,  the  foreign  popu- 
lation, which  practically  occupies  that  section,  was  driven  to 
the  upper  floors  and  the  housetops.  With  the  extinguishing 
of  the  city's  lights  bedlam  broke  loose  in  various  portions  of 
North  Dayton.  Men  in  the  frenzy  of  their  trouble  fell  to 
desperate  quarreling  among  themselves,  and  shots  were 
heard  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night  Wednesday  and 
Thursday. 

There  were  unconfirmed  reports  that  more  than  a  dozer: 


IN  THE  THROES  OF  DISTRESS  71 

murders  had  been  committed.     Troops  were  ordered  into  this 
district  to  stop  the  conflicts. 

RESTORING    SANITATION 

Problems  of  sanitation,  the  water  supply  and  the  recon- 
struction of  the  wrecked  sewer  system  were  resumed  by 
engineers.  Citizens  were  ordered  to  dig. cesspools  in  their 
yards  and  to  get  rid  of  all  garbage.  Members  of  the  State 
Board  of  Health,  bringing  carloads  of  lime  and  other  disin- 
fectants, reached  here  to  ward  off  disease. 

A  report  was  circulated  that  an  epidemic  of  typhoid  fever 
and  pneumonia  had  developed  in  Riverdale  and  West  Dayton. 
It  was  ascertained,  however,  that  not  a  single  well-developed 
case  of  either  disease  was  known  in  the  sections  mentioned, 
although  there  was  considerable  sickness  among  the  refugees, 
particularly  women  and  children,  due  to  privation. 

Three  deaths  from  diphtheria  in  other  sections  were  reported 
by  Secretary  of  Health  Board  Miller. 

FEEDING   THE   HOMELESS 

The  food  situation  was  much  brighter.  The  trucks  sent 
from  the  Cash  Register  Company,  manned  by  men  with  mili- 
tary orders  to  confiscate  potatoes  and  food  from  the  farmers, 
brought  back  a  good  supply  of  vegetables  and  several  relief 
trains  reached  the  city. 

The  problem  of  providing  for  refugees  was  bravely  faced 
by  an  army  of  workers,  many  of  whom  came  from  neighboring 
cities  equipped  with  car  loads  and  train  loads  of  food. 


72  IN  THE  THROES   OF   DISTRESS 

"  We  can't  tell  how  much  we  need,"  said  John  M.  Patterson 
"and  we  don't  know  yet  in  just  what  shape  we  want  some  of 
the  supplies.  For  instance,  there  came  a  carload  of  flour. 
We  can  use  it  later,  but  if  that  flour  had  been  made  into  bread 
it  would  have  been  immediately  available  for  the  persons 
imprisoned  in  their  homes  whom  it  has  been  impossible  to 
remove.  We  could  take  bread  to  them,  but  flour  is  not 
serviceable." 

Many  motor  boats  went  into  the  flooded  district  taking 
food  and  water  and  bringing  out  persons  who  needed  medical 
attention.  Many  of  them  were  so  weak  from  deprivation 
and  suffering  as  to  be  scarcely  able  to  move.  Hundreds  were 
taken  to' the  Cash  Register  Hospital  and  other  places  where 
they  could  be  aided. 

Among  those  taken  out  of  the  Algonquin  Hotel  were 
Stephen  Patterson  and  his  wife.  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  brother 
of  John  H.  Patterson,  the  cash  register  manufacturer.  Great 
anxiety  had  been  felt  for  their  safety  and  also  for  Mrs.  Frank 
Patterson,  a  sister-in-law.  The  latter  was  found  in  her  home 
on  West  Fifth  Street. 

HUNDREDS    STAND   BY   HOMES 

In  that  section  on  the  east  side  of  the  Miami  River  and 
north  of  the  Mad  River  rescue  work  went  forward  with  the 
two  United  States  life-saving  crews  in  charge.  Hundreds 
of  people  living  in  upper  stories  and  practically  without 
food  or  water  since  Tuesday  morning  refused  to  leave  their 
homes,  believing  they  would  have  a  better  chance  for  safety 


IN  THE  THROES   OF  DISTRESS  73 

there  than  elsewhere.  Water  and  food  were  supplied  them. 
Hundreds  of  others  had  left  their  homes,  in  some  instances 
effecting  exits  by  chopping  holes  through  the  roofs.  Very 
few  of  these  were  accounted  for. 

A  central  morgue  was  established  at  the  Probate  Court 
building,  and  as  fast  as  possible  identifications  were  made. 
Many,  of  the  bodies  thus  far  recovered,  however,  presented 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  identification. 

Colonel  Zimmerman  reported  that  boatloads  of  provisions 
continuously  were  going  into  the  still  inundated  districts. 
Milk  for  babies  and  medicine  for  invalids  were  not  forgotten 
by  the  rescue  squads.  Governor  Cox  solved  the  problem  of 
getting  milk  for  Dayton's  babies  by  confiscating  in  the  name 
of  the  State  the  entire  output  of  the  Marysville  dairies,  and 
having  it  sent  to  the  stricken  city.  The  state  also  seized  two 
cars  of  eggs  at  Springfield  found  in  a  railroad  yard  and  sent 
them  to  Dayton. 

PATTERSON    CONTINUES   NOBLE   WORK 

The  dead  bodies  were  placed  in  coffins  as  soon  as  they  were 
identified.  These  coffins  and  decent  burial  for  the  victims 
were  paid  for  by  the  President  of  the  National  Cash  Register 
Company,  who  footed  most  of  the  bills  in  the  tremendous 
and  efficient  work  of  relief. 

The  weather  was  bitter  cold,  but  the  rain  ceased  to  fall. 
Thousands  of  survivors  who  spent  two  nights  marooned  in 
buildings  without  fight,  heat  or  food  on  Friday  night  slept 
in  warm  beds. 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Recuperation  of  Dayton 

spirits  go  up — secretary  of  war  garrison  on  the  scene — 
clearing  away  the  debris — boat  crews  save  979- 
relief  on  business  basis — strict  sanitary  measures — 
tales  of  the  rescued — a  summary  of  work  accom- 
plished— railroads  again  working — commission  gov- 
ernment established — a  home  of  tents — millionaires 
in  the  bread-line — orville  wright's  escape — death 
and  property  loss — the  task  of  rebuilding. 

AYTON  passed  Friday  night  in  terror  because  of  con- 
stant shooting  by  the  militiamen.     Just  how  many 
looters  were  killed  was  unknown,  as  information  was 
refused.     The  facts  figure  only  in  military  reports. 

Fifty  shots  were  fired  between  midnight  and  three  o'clock 
Saturday  morning  within  hearing  of  the  main  hospital  quar- 
ters in  the  National  Cash  Register  Building.  Civil  workers 
in  the  center  of  the  town,  where  efforts  were  being  made  to 
clear  away  debris,  reported  that  five  looters  were  shot  after 
midnight. 

One  of  these  was  a  negro  who  had  succeeded  in  entering  a 
Madison  Street  house  where  he  was  seen  by  a  militiaman  and 


THE   RECUPERATION   OF   DAYTON  75 

shot  in  the  act  of  looting.  It  is  declared  that  only  one  of 
the  five  men  shot  was  killed. 

Orders  were  issued  to  the  soldiers  to  inflict  summary 
execution  on  corpse  robbers — ghouls  who  sneaked  through  the 
business  and  residence  streets  like  hyenas  after  a  battle. 

Dayton  came  out  in  force  on  Saturday  to  look  around  and 
judge  for  itself  the  extent  of  the  tragedy  that  confronted  its 
people.  Business  men  with  forces  of  assistants  penetrated 
the  business  section  and  set  about  the  task  of  learning  whether 
they  had  been  stripped  of  their  possessions  completely. 

Haggard  faces,  worn  out  with  sleepless  nights  and  days  of 
weary  struggle  and  apprehension  for  the  future,  brightened 
with  the  flush  of  new-born  hope  as  some  of  the  searchers 
found  that  the  flood  had  not  proved  completely  disastrous 
for  them. 

Scores  of  business  interests,  not  alone  in  the  central  sec- 
tion, but  as  well  in  the  outlying  manufacturing  districts,  faced 
ruin.  The  work  of  reconstruction,  already  in  the  forming, 
meant  for  them  going  back  to  the  beginning  for  a  fresh 
start,  but  on  every  hand  one  heard  in  spite  of  this  words  of 
hope  and  cheerfulness  that  the  disaster  was  no  greater. 

SPIRITS   GO   UP 

The  bitter  cold  gave  way  to  a  day  of  sunshine  and  compara- 
tive warmth.  The  military  authorities  lifted  the  ban  on  unin- 
terrupted travel  about  the  city.  This  privilege  and  the 
brightness  of  the  day  brought  most  of  the  people  out  of  their 
discouragement  and  great  throngs  appeared   on  the  streets. 


76  THE   RECUPERATION   OF   DAYTON 

They  found  the  death  toll  smaller  than  they  had  expected 
and  the  property  damage,  while  almost  crushing  in  the  size 
of  the  figures  it  represented,  not  so  utterly  annihilating  as 
was  generally  feared. 

Military  engineering  experts  began  the  work  of  extricating 
Dayton  from  its  covering  of  debris,  and  its  menace  to 
general  public  health.  H.  E.  Talbot,  of  Dayton,  who  built 
the  Soo  Locks,  was  placed  in  charge  and  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  sent  in  seventy -five  engineers  to  assist  him.  While 
fifty  additional  experts  appeared  from  other  points,  the  Ohio 
National  Guard  Battalion  of  Engineers  from  Cleveland 
became  a  part  of  the  organization  to  " sweep  up"  the  city. 

Relief  from  the  suffering  because  of  the  closing  down  of  the 
public  utilities  bade  fair  to  be  accomplished  by  Sunday.  The 
city  lived  up  to  its  motto  " Dayton  does"  with  the  amendment 
that  if  it  cannot  find  a  way  it  will  make  one. 

With  real  philosophy  and  high  courage  its  people  set  about 
the  arduous  task  of  retrieving  the  ground  and  the  fortunes 
they  lost.  The  fives  that  were  taken  by  the  disaster  were  not 
sacrificed  in  vain.  The  Citizens'  Committee,  headed  by  John 
H.  Patterson,  the  relief  agency,  and  H.  E.  Talbot,  determined 
to  find  a  way  to  protect  the  city  against  a  repetition  of  the 
horrors  of  the  week. 

Things  looked  brighter.  It  was  announced  that  on  Sunday 
the  water  would  be  turned  on  in  all  the  mains  that  were  not 
broken,  in  order  to  give  pure  drinking  water  to  practically 
the  entire  city,  something  the  sanitary  and  engineering 
experts  were  working  for  as  imperative  if  epidemics  were  to 


THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  77 

be  avoided.  Until  such  time  as  the  city  mains  could  be  used, 
water  was  distributed  from  artesian  wells  by  water  carts  and 
in  kegs,  which  were  carried  to  the  various  districts  by  the 
" flying  squadron"  of  the  auto  relief  corps. 

SECRETARY    OF   WAR    GARRISON   ON   THE    SCENE 

Secretary  of  War  Garrison  and  his  staff  arrived  at  Dayton 
at  noon,  and  immediately  went  into  conference  with  John  H. 
Patterson,  chairman  of  the  committee  of  fifteen,  in  charge  of 
the  relief  work. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Garrison  arrived  the  relief  committee  began 
to  call  local  physicians  to  consult  with  him  to  determine 
whether  to  place  the  city  under  federal  control.  It  was  said 
Dayton's  sanitary  condition  appeared  to  warrant  the  presence 
of  federal  troops  and  government  health  experts. 

It  was  later  decided  to  leave  the  city  in  control  of  the  state 
militia  and  the  local  committee,  except  that  sanitary  experts 
from  the  federal  health  service  should  be  brought  to  Dayton. 
Mr.  Garrison  stated  that  Major  Thomas  Rhoades,  in  co-opera- 
tion with  Major  James  C.  Normoyle,  would  have  charge  in 
Dayton.  Major  Normoyle  had  experience  in  furthering  relief 
in  the  Mississippi  flood  district  last  year. 

garrison's  report 
Secretary  Garrison  gave  out  the  substance  of  his  telegram 

to  President  Wilson  as  follows: 

"I  find  the  situation  at  Dayton  to  be  as  follows: 

"The  flood  has  subsided  so  that  they  have  communication 

with  all  parts  of  the  city,  no  one  being  now  in  any  position  of 


78  THE   RECUPERATION   OF   DAYTON 

peril  or  without  food  or  shelter.  The  National  Cash  Register 
plant  has  been  turned  into  a  supply  depot  and  lodging  place 
for  those  who  have  no  other  present  place. 

"Surgeon  General  Blue  and  some  of  his  officers  are  here,  as 
are  also  some  naval  surgeons.  We  are  all  working  in  concert. 
The  Governor,  the  Mayor,  the  local  committees  and  the 
citizens  have  all  expressed  much  gratitude  for  the  action  of 
the  National  Government,  and  have  welcomed  us  warmly,  all 
of  them  stating  that  the  fact  that  a  direct  representative  has 
been  sent  to  their  community  has  been  of  the  greatest  benefit 
to  the  morale  of  the  situation. 

"I  find  a  competent  force  is  already  organized  to  clean  up 
the  streets,  remove  the  debris  and  do  general  work  of  that 
description  and  has  agreed  to  work  under  the  direction  of  the 
army  surgeon  I  leave  in  charge  of  sanitation.  The  National 
Guards  have  their  Brigadier-General,  George  H.  Wood,  here  in 
command  of  the  military  situation  and  he  has  cordially  offered 
to  co-operate  in  every  way  with  our  work  of  sanitation. 

"  I  think  that  the  situation  here  is  very  satisfactory  and  that 
this  community  will  find  itself  in  a  reassured  position  within 
a  very  short  time  and  facing  only  then  the  problem  of  repair, 
restoration  and  rehabilitation. 

"I  will  go  back  to  Cincinnati  tonight  to  get  into  touch  with 
matters  left  unfinished  there  and  will  go  to  Columbus  at  the 
earliest  moment.  Governor  Cox  tells  me  that  he  thinks 
matters  are  in  a  satisfactory  condition  at  Columbus;  that  he 
has  ample  immediate  supply  of  medicines  and  other  neces- 
sities;  and  that  much  of  each  is  on  the  way.     The  weather 


THE  RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  79 

is  very  fine  and  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  cause  for  appre- 
hension of  further  floods  in  the  vicinity  of  Dayton." 

CLEARING   AWAY   THE    DEBRIS 

Efforts  were  made  to  clear  away  debris  in  sections  where 
the  flood  water  had  run  off,  and  it  was  feared  bodies  might 
be  found  in  these  masses  of  wreckage.  With  well  organized 
crews  doing  this  work,  others  took  food  to  persons  still 
marooned  in  Riverdale  and  North  Dayton. 

The  two  himdred  and  fifty  persons  marooned  in  the 
Algonquin  Hotel,  in  the  heart  of  the  flood  district,  moved 
from  their  prison  after  the  waters  had  receded.  Most  of 
them  said  there  was  a  general  scare  at  the  fire  which  burned 
along  Jefferson  and  Third  Streets,  on  Wednesday  night. 
There  was  one  death  in  the  hotel,  Johnny  Flynn,  a  bell  bo}^. 
Several  of  the  guests  organized  the  majority  after  the  flood 
waters  had  cut  off  escape  on  Tuesday,  and  for  three  evenings 
programs  of  entertainments  were  given  in  the  hotel  dining- 
room.  It  was  decreed  by  a  safety  committee  that  any  person 
who  declined  to  contribute  to  the  entertainment  would  be 
compelled  figuratively  to  walk  the  plank.  There  were  no 
dissenters. 

Among  those  marooned  in  hotels  were  one  hundred  from 
New  York,  Chicago,  Columbus,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland, 
Toledo,  Pittsburgh,  Philadelphia,  Detroit,  Boston  and  St. 
Louis.     All  were  safe. 

A  brilliant  sunshine  threw  an  uncanny  light  over  the  dis- 
torted scenes  in  the  areas  where  the  homes  of  75,000  people 


80  THE   RECUPERATION   OF   DAYTON 

were  swept  away  or  toppled  over.  A  view  down  almost  any 
street  revealed  among  the  wreckage,  tumbled-over  houses, 
pianos,  household  utensils  and  dead  horses  brushed  together 
in  indescribable  confusion.  At  two  points  the  bodies  of 
horses  were  seen  still  caught  in  the  tops  of  trees. 

Digging  bodies  out  of  the  mud  was  the  chief  work  of  rescu- 
ing parties.  The  water  had  drained  off  from  almost  all  the 
flooded  area.  In  some  instances  the  mud  was  several  feet 
deep. 

The  rush  of  the  currents  claimed  the  greatest  toll  of  lives, 
judging  from  how  most  of  the  bodies  recovered  were  found. 
They  were  washed  up  onto  the  ground  from  new-made  rivers 
and  many,  were  found  buried  in  the  wreckage.  In  moving  this 
workmen  moved  carefully,  fearing  they  might  tread  upon 
bodies,  but  they  were  not  found  in  groups. 

It  was  anticipated  that  the  majority  of  the  bodies  of  flood 
victims  would  be  found  buried  under  the  debris  in  the  Miami 
Canal  under  great  piles  of  wreckage  and  far  down  the  Miami 
River,  at  Miamisburg,  Middle  town  and  Hamilton.  Those 
who  were  drowned  for  the  most  part  were  caught  in  the 
streets  either  while  on  their  way  to  their  places  of  business 
and  employment  or  while  trying  to  get  to  places  of  safety 
when  forced  to  flee  from  their  houses.  Lieutenant  Leather- 
man,  surgeon  of  the  Third  Regiment,  O.  N.  G.,  who  went 
through  the  flood  in  West  Dayton,  said  that  he  saw  scores  of 
dead  bodies  floating  down  the  Miami  River  and  many  people 
were  swimming,  but  there  was  not  one  chance  in  ten  thousand 
that  these  were  saved,  he  said. 


THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  81 

The  policing  of  the  city  by  the  military  was  reorganized 
with  Brigadier-General  George  H.  Wood  commanding  and 
Captain  Tyrus  G.  Reed  as  Adjutant  General.  The  city  was 
turned  over  into  a  military  district  of  five  military  zones, 
and  rigid  orders  were  laid  down  for  the  conduct  of  its  affairs. 

Chairmen  of  the  various  committees  were  unanimous  in 
asking  that  word  be  spread  broadcast  that  mere  sightseeing 
visitors  were  not  wanted.  The  railroads  were  informed  of 
this  attitude  and  conductors  refused  to  accept  passengers 
who  could  not  show  that  their  presence  here  was  necessary. 
There  were  thousands  of  visitors  in  the  city.  Most  of  them 
were  from  surrounding  towns. 

BOAT   CREWS   SAVE    979 

The  work  of  extending  succor  to  the  marooned  inhabitants 
of  the  districts  which  were  still  flooded  continued  during  the 
day.  In  many  sections  were  to  be  seen  rowboats,  skiffs  and 
canoes  making  their  way  with  extreme  difficulty  among  the 
heaps  of  wreckage  and  overturned  houses  among  tangled 
meshes  of  telegraph,  telephone  and  electric  light  wires,  seek- 
ing out  possible  victims  who  had  been  uncared  for. 

Among  the  organizations  engaged  in  rescue  work  was  the 
company  of  naval  reserves  from  the  United  States  ship  Essex 
at  Toledo,  under  command  of  Captain  A.  F.  Nicklett.  The 
company  reached  Dayton  on  a  special  relief  train  from 
Toledo  Thursday  and  immediately  launched  a  number  of 
boats  on  the  raging  torrents  which  were  sweeping  the  city 
from  end  to  end.     Up  to  six  o'clock  Saturday  night  the  sailors 


82  THE   RECUPERATION   OF   DAYTON 

had  been  constantly  on  duty  and  had  to  their  credit  a  total 
of  979  lives  saved,  and  they  were  not  thinking  of  sleep  when 
darkness  fell. 

One  crew  in  command  of  Ensign  E.  E.  Diebald,  with  two 
boats,  rescued  375  persons  from  the  business  section  and  that 
district  immediately  east  of  Main  Street  and  west  of  Eagle 
Street.  Many  of  the  people  were  taken  from  their  homes 
only  after  the  sailors  had  mounted  to  the  tops  of  partially 
overturned  houses  and  ckopped  their  way  through  to  the 
attics  where  the  inmates  were  huddled  together  waiting  for 
death  to  enter. 

Another  crew  under  Junior  Lieutenant  Ross  Willoh  suc- 
ceeded in  saving  360,  while  three  boats  in  command  of  Senior 
Lieutenant  Theodore  Schmidt  rescued  244  persons.  The 
majority  of  these  latter  were  taken  from  box  cars,  warehouses, 
freight  sheds  and  grain  elevators  in  the  railroad  yards.  It 
was  here  that  the  water  attained  its  greatest  violence,  rush- 
ing in  whirlpools  between  the  irregular  buildings  on  either 
side  of  the  tracks.  Navigation  was  extremely  perilous  on 
account  of  many  submerged  box  cars,  flat  cars  and  over- 
turned sheds. 

Several  times  the  sailors  were  capsized,  but  managed  to 
keep  with  their  boats  and  right  them  again.  Not  a  single 
life  was  lost  either  among  the  reserves  or  among  the  hundreds 
whom  they  attempted  to  rescue. 

While  sailors  worked  incessantly  to  save  lives,  Lieutenant 
Walter  Gayhart,  also  of  the  ship's  company,  succeeded  in 
establishing  a  supply  station  on  East  Fifth  Street,  where  many 


THE  RECUPERATION  OF  DAYTON  83 

refugees  congregated,  and  issued  rations  to  the  suffering. 
He  slept  Saturday  night  after  seventy-one  hours  of  continu- 
ous labor. 

With  the  additional  military  forces  which  arrived  the  city 
was  thoroughly  policed.  At  night  the  city  was  in  darkness 
again.  It  was  impossible  to  do  much  relief  work  at  night 
and  the  curfew  order  was  due  in  part  to  the  advisability  of 
keeping  the  men  where  they  could  protect  their  own  house- 
holds if  necessary. 

RELIEF   ON   BUSINESS   BASIS 

The  distribution  of  food  supplies  and  clothing  and  relieving 
of  distress  was  put  on  a  business  basis.  Supplies  reached 
Dayton  in  large  quantities,  and  the  relief  stations  were  suffi- 
ciently organized  to  take  care  of  the  incoming  refugees  from 
the  flood  districts.  The  problem  of  caring  for  the  homeless 
was  still  serious,  but  with  all  promise  of  warm  weather  it  was 
hoped  there  would  be  less  suffering.  Health  officers  reported 
that  there  was  only  one  car  of  lime  in  the  city,  and  there 
was  great  need  of  more. 

Fifteen  thousand  persons  were  subsisting  on  rations  given 
out  under  direction  of  the  relief  committee.  Ten  thousand 
of  these,  it  was  estimated,  were  in  their  homes,  and  food  was 
carried  to  them  in  boats  and  automobiles.  About  five  thou- 
sand were  being  cared  for  at  the  relief  stations.  This  showed  a 
marked  reduction  in  the  number  of  persons  being  publicly  fed. 

There  was  plenty  of  food,  and  it  was  placed  into  baskets 
in  lots  to  serve  five  persons  for  two  days.      Over  candles 


84  THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON 

given  out  with  the  food  the  people  boiled  coffee,  but  the 
other  food  was  eaten  cold.     There  was  no  gas  and  little  coal. 

Announcement  was  made  by  the  relief  committee  that 
until  conditions  became  normal,  no  private  messages  to  per- 
sons here  would  be  delivered  or  answered,  as  the  wire  capacity 
was  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  carry  official  and  public  business. 

Major  Dupuy  stated  that  he  feared  an  epidemic  of  some 
kind  unless  the  most  rigid  sanitary  rules  were  enforced. 

STRICT   SANITARY   MEASURES 

Major  Dupuy  stated  that  the  city  had  been  divided  into 
six  sanitary  districts,  each  district  in  charge  of  an  officer  of 
the  sanitary  corps  of  the  National  Guard.  Strict  orders 
regarding  the  disposition  of  garbage  were  issued  and  the 
people  were  advised,  by  means  of  bulletins  posted  in  con- 
spicuous places  in  the  streets,  how  best  to  preserve  the  pub- 
He  health.  «  "d  ,  >  * 

Several  cars  of  lime  reached  the  city  and  many  more  were 
en  route  from  different  points.  A  carload  of  ambulance 
supplies  was  on  the  way  from  Cincinnati. 

Members  of  the  Citizens'  Relief  Committee  were  appre- 
hensive of  a  water  famine.  It  was  believed  there  was  little 
chance  that  the  present  supply  could  be  made  to  last  until 
the  water  mains  were  in  use  again.  R.  H.  Grant,  head  of 
the  Relief  Supplies  Committee,  issued  an  appeal  to  all  cities 
in  the  country  asking  that  as  much  bottled  water  as  possible 
be  shipped  to  Dayton  immediately. 

It  was  especially  desired  that  this  water  be  strictly  pure, 


THE  RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  85 

as  it  was  practically  impossible  to  boil  the  water  for  drinking 
purposes. 

Considering  the  number  of  persons  affected  by  this  flood, 
there  was  comparatively  little  sickness,  the  cold  weather 
being  responsible  for  this  to  a  great  extent.  The  cold  caused 
great  suffering  among  those  marooned  without  food,  water, 
or  heat,  but  in  the  end  it  proved  a  blessing. 

Dr.  William  Colby  Rucker,  Assistant  Surgeon  General  of 
the  United  States  Public  Health  Service,  who  arrived  from 
Washington  at  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
with  Surgeon  General  Rupert  Blue,  gave  the  following  out- 
line of  the  sanitary  conditions  existing  in  the  city : 

"A  survey  of  conditions  in  Dayton  today  shows  that  the 
sanitary  situation  is  not  so  bad  as  was  at  first  thought.  Citi- 
zens have  been  warned  to  boil  all  drinking  water  and  to  bury 
refuse.  City  water  is  now  flowing  under  twenty-pound 
pressure.  Sewers  in  some  sections  are  again  in  operation. 
The  city  expects  to  have  others  working  tomorrow. 

"The  city  has  been  divided  into  six  sanitary  districts  and 
tonight  physicians  who  have  been  sworn  in  as  district  sani- 
tary officers  are  being  instructed  as  to  their  precise  duties  as 
heads  of  these  districts." 

TALES   OF   THE   RESCUED 

Pathetic  scenes,  so  intense  as  to  bring  tears  to  the  eyes  of 
undertakers,  were  witnessed  when  scores  of  fear-stricken 
parents  and  children  walked  down  the  rows  of  dead  lying 
upon  slabs  in  the  temporary  morgues. 


86  THE   RECUPERATION   OF   DAYTON 

In  Riverdale  and  North  Dayton,  where  the  flood  waters 
attained  the  greatest  depth  and  degree  of  destructiveness, 
several  thousand  persons  waded  knee-deep  in  slimy  mud, 
rummaging  their  desolated  homes  for  clothing.  All  of  this, 
of  course,  was  soaked  and  plastered  with  mud,  but  it  was 
dried  on  the  hillsides,  where  the  populace  had  taken  refuge. 
In  some  places  in  these  districts  the  water  had  so  far  receded 
as  to  render  possible  the  beginning  of  the  work  of  cleaning 
the  lower  floors  of  the  mud  and  debris. 

The  dead  line  around  Riverdale,  where  the  water  remained 
about  three  feet  in  depth  around  most  of  the  houses,  con- 
tinued to  be  maintained  in  order  to  guard  against  looting 
during  the  absence  of  residents.  It  was  estimated  that  not 
more  than  a  week  would  be  required  to  immunize  all  homes 
requiring  it  outside  of  the  Riverdale  section,  to  free  them 
from  water  and  prepare  them  for  cleansing. 

A    SUMMARY    OF   WORK   ACCOMPLISHED 

Following  are  some  of  the  things  accomplished  since  the 
flood  broke  over  the  city  Tuesday  morning: 

The  water-works  pumping  station  was  in  operation,  but 
the  distribution  of  water  was  greatly  retarded  by  open  pipes 
in  wrecked  houses.  The  pressure  was  feeble,  but  growing 
stronger  as  leaks  were  checked. 

The  main  sanitary  sewer  was  in  operation,  although  many 
of  the  laterals  leading  from  houses  were  clogged  with  mud 
and  backecl-up  water. 

The  flood  sewers,  separate  from  the  sanitary,  were  almost 


THE  RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  87 

ready  for  service.  These  sewers  carry  off  the  rainfall  from 
the  glitters,  and  were  needed  to  remove  the  water  being 
pumped  from  basements. 

Sightseers  in  motor  cars  felt  the  heavy  hand  of  public 
necessity  when  General  Wood  began  impressing  machines. 
The  sightseers  were  ordered  from  their  cars  and  the  latter 
were  pressed  into  public  service.  Protests  were  unavailing. 
The  more  stubborn  surrendered  at  the  points  of  rifles,  and 
gave  up  their  cars  "until  released  by  order  of  the  chairman," 
as  the  placards  placed  in  them  read. 

The  militia  also  began  impressing  citizens  into  service  as 
workers.  Men  who  had  the  appearance  of  being  able-bodied, 
but  idle,  were  questioned  by  officers  of  the  National  Guard; 
if  they  had  not  good  reason  for  being  in  the  streets,  and  no 
duties  of  a  mandatory  nature,  they  were  pressed  into  service. 

The  Sixth  regiment,  0.  N.  G.,  from  Toledo  and  northern 
Ohio  towns,  which  had  been  on  duty  in  Dayton,commandeered 
a  train  when  ordered  to  Cincinnati  and  departed  before  night- 
fall.    The  naval  reserves  from  Toledo  went  on  train. 

Coroner  J.  W.  McKemy  estimated  that  one  hundred  bodies 
had  been  recovered,  though  there  was  record  of  only  seventy- 
two.  He  said  some  had  been  buried  without  usual  official 
action  and  that  in  some  cases  he  did  not  expect  to  get  records. 

The  postoffice  was  put  out  of  business  on  Tuesda}r  and 
it  was  not  until  Sunday  that  any  sort  of  service  was  attempted. 
Telegraph  and  telephone  service  was  almost  entirely  crippled 
until  Saturday  night,  when  even  short  messages  were  accepted 
only  on  condition  that  the  sender  assent  to  indefinite  delays. 


88  THE   RECUPERATION   OF   DAYTON 

Telegrams  were  rela3*ed  through  Cincinnati.  The  only 
long-distance  telephone  wires  in  service  were  two  private 
wires  connecting  with  Cincinnati.  On  those  who  succeeded 
in  securing  permission  to  use  these  wires  a  time  limit  of  three 
minutes  conversation  was  imposed. 

No  braver  services  were  performed  during  the  flood  than 
those  by  the  telegraph  and  telephone  linemen  who  made 
possible  the  dissemination  of  news  to  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  friends  and  relatives  of  Daytonians.  They  waded  and 
swam  icy  floods  and  entered  tottering  buildings  unhesitat- 
ingly in  pursuit  of  their  duty.  Operators  who  had  not  removed 
shoes  or  clothing  since  last  Tuesday  were  found  Saturday. 

RAILROADS   AGAIN   WORKING 

Direct  railroad  communication  was  established  Sunday 
night  with  Springfield,  Ohio,  Cincinnati  and  Richmond, 
Indiana.  The  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  and  Dayton  lines, 
on  which  Dayton  passenger  traffic  depended  mostly,  were 
not  working.  The  tracks  leading  into  the  Union  Station 
were  completely  blocked  and  the  few  trains  arriving  dis- 
charged their  passengers  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city. 

H.  E.  Talbott,  who  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Cox, 
chief  engineer  of  the  military  zone,  completed  his  plans  for 
beginning  the  rehabilitation  of  the  city.  He  announced 
that  four  departments  had  been  created,  with  an  assistant 
engineer  in  charge  of  each.  One  had  charge  of  rebuilding 
the  streets  and  alleys;  another  the  levees  along  the  rivers; 
another  the  sewerage  system,  and  still  another  the  bridges, 


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THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  89 

Hundreds  of  persons  still  looking  for  relatives  passed  along 
the  lines  at  the  morgues,  fearing  they  should  find  their  loved 
ones  there.     Only  a  few  bodies  had  not  been  identified. 

Because  of  the  city's  financial  condition,  the  problem  of 
paying  the  costs  of  rejuvenation  caused  great  concern.  The 
treasury  was  practically  empty,  and  the  borrowing  capacity 
would  be  exhausted  when  $900,000  was  raised.  It  was  planned 
to  seek  immediate  relief  from  the  Legislature. 

By  order  of  Governor  Cox,  the  reign  of  martial  law  over 
Dayton  was  extended  to  take  in  the  whole  county.  The 
flood  did  more  than  sweep  away  property,  for  it  swept  away 
the  city  administration,  temporarily  at  least,  and  brought  in 
what  amounted  to  a  commission  form  of  government. 

The  extension  of  the  area  under  martial  law  developed 
from  action  taken  by  local  dealers  whose  places  were  closed. 
They  complained  that  saloons  on  the  outskirts  were  sending 
whiskey  into  the  city,  and  that  considerable  drunkenness  had 
been  observed.  Brigadier-General  Wood  reported  the  situa- 
tion to  the  Governor,  and  his  action  was  prompt  and  decisive. 

COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT   ESTABLISHED 

As  soon  as  martial  law  was  proclaimed,  the  municipal 
administration  was  eclipsed.  Brigadier-General  Wood  for 
the  moment  became  supreme  under  the  Governor.  On  the 
heels  of  this  Mr.  Patterson  was  appointed  chairman  of  a  com- 
mittee of  five  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  city.  The  militia 
was  instructed  to  obey  his  orders  and  thus  became  a  police 
force. 


90  THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON 

Under  martial  law  the  city  enjoyed  the  free  services  of  the 
biggest  business  men  and  the  most  expert  professional  men  in 
Montgomery  County. 

Citizens  who  ventured  into  the  streets  were  impressed  from 
the  time  they  left  their  doors  that  Dayton  is  steadied  and 
perhaps  somewhat  depressed  by  the  absolute  grip  of  martial 
law.  Soldier  government  was  maintained  inexorably.  Owners 
of  business  places  could  not  set  foot  on  their  property  without 
the  permission  of  the  khaki-clad  militiamen,  standing  at  the 
curbs  with  loaded  carbines.  If  a  citizen  found  himself  some 
distance  from  his  home  when  the  curfew  rang  at  6  p.  m. 
his  return  was  beset  with  much  difficulty,  because  of  the  neces- 
sity of  halting  by  the  many  sentries  he  encountered. 

A  citizen  fearsome  enough  to  venture  from  his  threshold 
after  8  p.  m.  literally  took  his  life  in  his  hands,  because  the 
fingers  of  the  militia  rested  on  hair  triggers. 

Nine  colored  men  and  one  white  man  were  added  to  the 
seven  suspected  looters  shot  and  killed  since  martial  law  was 
proclaimed.  Absolute  secrecy  concerning  the  deaths  was 
maintained  by  the  military  authorities.  Citizens  who  heard 
repeated  firing  between  midnight  and  dawn  in  the  business 
center  of  Dayton  and  near  Ludlow  Street,  in  which  were 
located  many  of  the  handsomest  homes  in  Dayton,  spread 
these  reports.  The  reports  were  confirmed  in  a  non-committal 
way  by  militiamen  who  were  on  duty  in  these  sections,  who 
admitted  they  had  fired  ball  cartridges  as  a  " warning"  to 
suspected  looters. 

The  most  detailed  account  of  the  death  of  the  white  man 


THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  91 

had  it  that  he  was  halted  near  Main  and  Third  Streets  shortly 
after  2  a.  m.  He  had  one  hand  behind  his  back,  and  when 
ordered  to  open  it  two  watches  fell  to  the  pavement.  He 
was  then  searched  and  eighteen  watches  were  found  in  his 
pockets.  The  sentry  called  a  corporal's  squad  of  six  militia- 
men and  reported  the  loot  found  on  the  prisoner.  The  pris- 
oner was  led  to  the  wall  of  a  near-by  building,  faced  toward 
the  wall,  and  the  squad,  which  had  received  instruction  from 
its  commander,  fired.  A  white  band  with  a  red  insignia, 
made  apparently  to  simulate  a  Red  Cross  badge,  was  taken 
from  the  man's  arm,  and  the  body  was  thrown  into  the  canal. 

EXECUTIONS     DENIED 

The  nine  colored  men  reported  as  killed  were  discovered 
by  sentries  in  various  parts  of  the  city.  A  dozen  militiamen 
on  duty  near  Main  and  Third  Streets,  about  2  a.  m.,  said 
that  they  had  heard  firing  at  the  locality  named,  but  attrib- 
uted it  to  warning  shots.  One  of  the  men  said  that  a  sergeant 
in  his  company  told  of  shooting  and  killing  a  colored  man 
Friday  night,  when  the  man  tried  to  escape  in  a  boat  on  the 
Miami  Erie  Canal. 

Brigadier  General  George  H.  Wood,  when  asked  about  the 
reports  of  squad-firing  and  the  deaths  of  ten  suspected  looters, 
said: 

"There  was  some  squad-firing  after  midnight  by  sentries 
posted  in  the  Ludlow  section,  where  are  located  the  homes 
of  some  of  Dayton's  wealthiest  citizens.  But  neither  there 
nor  in  other  sections  of  the  city  where  shots  were  fired  was  any 


92  THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON 

one  killed.  The  report  that  executions  followed  the  detection 
of  militiamen  caught  looting  are  without  foundation.  There 
have  been  no  drumhead  or  other  courtmartials  and  none  will 
take  place  while  I  am  in  command  here  in  Dayton. 

"We  have  the  situation  well  in  hand.  I  have  1,400  doing 
sentry  duty  throughout  the  city  and  I  intend  to  guard  homes 
and  suppress  all  lawlessness." 

In  spite  of  the  rigor  of  this  military  government  of  Dayton, 
praise  of  General  Wood's  administration  was  heard  on  every 
side.  Citizens  discredited  the  stories  of  executions  of  looters 
and  were  not  over-inquisitive  of  details,  because  they  realized 
that  drastic  measures  were  imperative  under  the  existing 
conditions. 

In  accordance  with  suggestions  made  Saturday  by  Secre- 
tary of  War  Garrison  and  General  Leonard  Wood,  chief  of 
staff,  Major  Thomas  L.  Rhoades,  President  Wilson's  military 
aide,  took  charge  of  the  sanitary  campaign  and  permanent 
relief  organization.  He  had  for  his  chief  lieutenant  Eugene 
T.  Lies,  of  Chicago,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Red  Cross 
forces.  Investigation  of  the  financial  standing  of  every  house- 
holder whose  home  has  been  damaged  by  the  flood  was  begun. 
In  worthy  cases  money  or  materials  with  which  to  make  repairs 
were  furnished  from  the  Red  Cross  funds. 

A   HOME    OF   TENTS 

Major  Rhoades  took  up  plans  for  establishing  a  tented 
camp  in  North  Dayton  in  which  to  shelter  residents  of  the 
flood  districts.     These  flooded  homes  were  inspected  and  when 


THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  93 

found  to  be  unsanitary  the  occupants  were  invited  to  take  up 
quarters  in  the  tented  camp.  Where  the  invitation  was  refused 
recalcitrants  were  escorted  by  a  corporal's  guard  to  the  camp 
and  compelled  to  remain  there  until  their  homes  were  cleaned 
and  fumigated.  Major  Rhoades  was  supported  by  the  mili- 
tia in  carrying  out  a  policy  to  immunize  every  home  in  Dayton 
if  necessary,  and  thus  minimize  the  danger  of  epidemics. 

The  medical  authorities  forbade  the  use  of  old  clothing 
until  after  it  had  been  fumigated.  It  was  urged  upon  the 
general  public  that  old  clothing  was  not  desirable  for  fear  it 
might  bring  a  pestilence  in  some  form  to  a  city  unable  to  cope 
with  more  disaster. 

Nothing  to  indicate  the  approach  of  an  epidemic  due  to 
flood  conditions  was  reported,  although  the  number  of  diph- 
theria cases  was  slightly  above  normal.  Eight  persons  suffer- 
ing from  diphtheria  were  at  the  Miami  Valley  Hospital. 
Seven  of  them  were  caught  in  a  house  with  a  person  who  had 
recently  become  ill  with  the  disease.  Four  persons  hemmed 
in  with  one  who  had  measles  were  surfering  with  that  disease. 
Typhoid  fever  and  pneumonia  were  a  little  more  prevalent 
than  usual.  Clear  skies  and  warm  sunshine  contributed  to 
the  comfort  of  the  city  and  made  possible  good  progress  in  the 
work  of  redemption. 

Two  hospitals  in  Dayton  were  flooded  on  the  first  floor, 
so  all  sick  and  injured  were  taken  either  to  the  Great 
Miami  Hospital  or  to  the  state  insane  asylum.  Eight  persons 
whose  minds  temporarily  became  affected  because  of  hard- 
ships suffered  in  the  flood  were  cared  for  at  the  latter  place. 


94  THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON 

With  warmer  weather,  the  greatest  problem  was  the  removal 
of  the  carcasses  of  dead  horses.  Every  available  automobile 
truck  and  all  the  horse-drawn  drays  were  impressed  by  the 
sanitary  officials  and  hundreds  of  men  were  engaged  all  day 
removing  the  carcasses  to  the  different  incinerating  plants  and 
to  vacant  lots  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  where  they  were 
burned. 

George  F.  Burba,  Governor  Cox's  private  secretary, 
reported  to  the  state's  executive  that  there  were  40,000  per- 
sons in  Dayton  who  must  be  fed  and  sheltered  for  at  least  a 
week,  and  10,000  who  were  destitute.  The  latter  were  with- 
out either  sufficient  clothing  or  food,  and  until  business  activ- 
ities were  restored,  they  had  to  be  financed  and  maintained  in 
lodgings  until  they  could  become  self-supporting. 

Theodore  A.  Burnett  and  T.  H.  Smith,  government  food 
inspectors,  took  charge  of  the  food  supply,  in  so  far  as  inspec- 
tion was  concerned,  and  appointed  twelve  deputies.  All 
shipments  of  supplies  from  other  places  were  carefully  exam- 
ined before  being  given  to  the  refugees.  Particular  attention 
was  paid  to  meats  and  canned  goods. 

Announcement  was  made  that  the  particular  need  of  the 
people  was  drinking  water,  shoes,  clothing,  picks  and  shovels. 
Money  also  was  wanted,  although  a  considerable  amount  had 
already  been  subscribed  by  cities  throughout  the  country. 

Food  was  on  hand  in  ample  quantities,  free  to  all,  but  the 
variety  was  limited  to  staples  such  as  beans,  potatoes,  bread 
and  canned  vegetables.  Of  fresh  meat  there  was  practically 
none  and  butter  and  eggs  were  scarce.      All  food  supplies 


THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  95 

were  those  contributed  by  the  outside  world  and  distributed 
from  the  various  relief  depots  on  the  requisition  of  house- 
holders. Neither  provision  nor  other  stores  received  any 
consignment  of  goods. 

Citizens  and  visitors  alike  were  impressed  with  the  facts 
that  Dayton's  condition  was  distressing.  A  review  of  the 
streets  from  sunrise  until  the  curfew  bell's  toll  furnished  a 
practical  illustration  of  this.  Except  for  the  comparatively 
few  householders  who  had  supplies  on  hand  in  considerable 
quantities,  daily  sustenance  was  secured  by  the  market  bas- 
ket method.  This  was  as  true  of  the  fairly  well-to-do  families 
as  of  the  laboring  classes. 

HOW   RATIONS   WERE   ISSUED 

The  head  of  a  family  made  out  a  requisition  each  morning 
stating  his  needs  for  the  day.  This  requisition  was  presented 
at  any  of  the  supply  depots,  and  on  it  were  issued  rations 
consisting  of  potatoes,  canned  meats,  prunes  or  preserves, 
beans,  biscuits  or  bread.  Men,  women  and  children  with 
their  baskets  were  seen  in  the  streets  throughout  the  day. 

Most  of  the  absolutely  destitute  were  cared  for  in  one  or 
another  of  the  buildings  comprising  the  huge  plant  of  the 
National  Cash  Register  Company,  which  is  on  high  ground  at 
the  southern  end  of  the  city,  untouched  by  the  flood.  On  the 
ninth  floor  of  the  administration  building,  known  as  the  office's 
club,  and  where  there  is  a  dining  room  with  a  capacity  for 
1,000,  more  than  5,©@©  destitute  persons  were  fed  daily.  The 
menu  for  Sunday  was  a  typical  one,  as  follows: 


96  THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON 

Breakfast — Oatmeal  and  milk,  coffee  and  bread. 

Dinner — Vegetable  soup,  stewed  canned  meat,  stewed  corn, 
coffee  and  bread. 

Supper — Bean  soup,  potatoes,  coffee  or  tea  and  bread  with 
butter. 

John  F.  Patterson,  head  of  the  plant,  had  his  dinner  in  this 
general  dining  room  on  Sunday.  The  only  luxuries  enjoyed 
by  him  and  not  provided  for  the  others  were  hard-boiled  eggs 
and  preserved  peaches.  Among  the  most  active  of  the 
uniformed  waitresses  was  Mr.  Patterson's  nineteen-year-old 
daughter.  Volunteer  waitresses  helped  out  their  paid  sisters 
during  these  days  of  hardship. 

Monday  in  Dayton  was  much  like  the  days  that  immedi- 
ately preceded  it,  except  that  rapid  progress  was  made  toward 
the  restoration  of  the  city  to  a  habitable  condition.  Electric 
current  was  supplied  Monday  night  in  a  limited  residential 
district  and  in  a  few  downtown  buildings,  and  the  narrow 
zone  of  street  lighting  was  extended.  Automobile  fire  engines 
were  brought  overland  from  Cincinnati  to  assist  in  pumping 
out  basements. 

Ample  telegraph  equipment  was  installed  in  the  Beckel 
House.  Thousands  of  telegrams  remained  undelivered,  and 
it  was  still  impossible  for  the  telegraph  companies  even  to 
attempt  delivery.  The  line  of  citizens  waiting  in  front  of  the 
Western  Union's  temporary  office,  to  ask  for  messages  from 
friends,  extended  during  the  morning  a  full  block. 

The  Bell  Telephone  system  promised  partial  restoration 
of  service  by  Tuesday.     Its  plant  manager,  John  A.  Bell, 


THE  RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  97 

complained  of  his  linemen  having  been  impeded  by  refusal  of 
guardsmen  to  honor  the  military  passes.  This  was  called  to 
the  attention  of  Brigadier  General  Wood,  commanding  the 
Ohio  Guard,  and  relief  was  given. 

Practically  no  newspapers  had  been  received  here  since 
Tuesday  and  the  people  of  Dayton  grew  very  anxious  to  learn 
of  conditions  in  other  cities.  News  of  the  death  of  J.  P. 
Morgan  first  reached  the  public  through  a  bulletin  posted 
by  a  representative  of  the  Associated  Press.  Later  the  Day- 
ton News,  whose  plant  was  inundated,  put  a  two-page  paper 
on  the  street  in  which  a  few  details  of  the  death  of  the  financier 
were  printed. 

Impressed  and  volunteer  laborers  were  put  to  work  Monday 
refilling  the  broken  levees.  Removal  of  dead  animals  was  the 
most  pressing  work  of  sanitation. 

Major  Thomas  L.  Rhoads,  President  Wilson's  aide  and 
personal  representative  in  charge  of  sanitary  work,  sa'd  that 
the  situation  was  quite  encouraging;  that  hospital  facilities 
so  far  were  ample;  no  epidemics  of  disease  were  in  evidence 
and  in  two  weeks  there  would  be  substantial  relief,  although 
it  would  require  two  months  to  remove  the  dirt  and  debris. 

WOMEN  SHOVEL  IN  STREETS 

Mondajr  for  the  first  time,  offensive  odors  came  from  the 
mud  and  slime  that  was  shovelled  into  the  streets  by  house- 
holders and  storekeepers.  In  this  work  men,  women  and 
children  were  engaged.  Wives  of  prominent  citizens  were 
seen  with  shovel  and  hoe,  some  of  them  wearing  their  hus- 


98  THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON 

bands'  trousers  and  rubber  boots,  doing  as  best  they  could  the 
work  of  men. 

On  Monday,  John  H.  Patterson,  chairman  of  the  Citizens' 
Relief  Committee,  issued  the  following  statement : 

"Our  committee  has  now  at  its  disposal  all  the  food  and 
clothing  necessary.  Money,  however,  is  required  to  put  our 
city  in  condition  to  prevent  the  outbreak  of  diseases  and  to 
rehabilitate  the  thousands,  many  of  whom  have  lost  their 
homes  entirely  and  all  of  whom  have  lost  their  household  and 
personal  effects. 

'The  committee  sends  an  urgent  appeal  to  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States  for  the  necessary  funds.  All  contributions 
should  be  sent  direct  to  W.  F.  Bippus,  treasurer  of  the  relief 
committee." 

MILLIONAIRES   IN   THE   BREAD-LINE 

In  the  bread-line  on  Monday  was  Eugene  J.  Parney,  a 
multi-millionaire,  whose  gifts  to  charity  have  been  very  large 
and  who  recently  included  $25,000  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  this 
city.  The  day  after  the  flood  he  was  offering  $1,000  for 
enough  wood  alcohol  to  heat  malted  milk  for  his  infant  grand- 
child. Monday  he  was  no  more  successful  in  buying  pro- 
visions. He  appeared  with  a  basket  on  his  arm,  rubbed 
elbows  with  those  nearest  in  the  motley  line  and  apparently 
none  was  more  grateful  than  he  when  his  basket  was  filled 
with  beans,  potatoes,  canned  vegetables,  rice  and  other  staples. 
He  was  eager  to  pay  for  his  supplies,  but  money  is  refused 
at  the  supply  depots.  It  was  arranged  to  change  this  system 
on  Tuesday  to  enable  those  well  able  to  pay  to  do  so. 


THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  99 

Fred  B.  Patterson,  only  son  of  John  H.  Patterson,  stopped 
work  in  the  morgue  at  his  father's  factory  long  enough  to 
tell  for  the  first  time  of  the  part  he  took  in  the  rescue  work. 
Like  his  sister  Dorothy,  who  worked  as  a  waitress  feeding 
refugees,  young  Patterson  was  doing  the  things  that  many  poor 
men  had  avoided. 

ORVILLE   WRIGHT'S   ESCAPE 

Orville  Wright,  the  aeroplane  builder,  and  his  family,  wTho 
had  been  marooned  in  the  west  side,  reported  to  relief  head- 
quarters on  Monday.  The  flood  stopped  just  short  of  wiping 
out  of  existence  the  priceless  models,  records,  plans  and  draw- 
ings— all  in  the  original — of  the  Wright  brothers,  who  gave 
the  airship  to  the  world. 

Out  in  West  Dayton  live  the  Wrights — Orville,  his  father, 
Bishop  Wright,  and  Miss  Katherine  Wright,  the  sister,  in  a 
small,  unpretentious  frame  house.  Orville  Wright  and  his 
father  and  sister  were  in  the  old  homestead  wThen  the  flood 
swept  in. 

The  aged  father  was  placed  in  a  boat,  but  instead  of  con- 
veying him  to  a  place  of  safety,  the  boatman  carried  him  to 
a\house  nearby  where  he  was  marooned  until  the  waters  sub- 
sided three  days  later.  Orville  Wright  and  his  sister  escaped 
to  safety  on  an  auto  truck,  being  carried  through  four  feet  of 
water. 

In  fleeing,  however,  the  inventor  of  the  aeroplane  was 
compelled  to  abandon  the  small  factory  adjoining  the  home- 
stead in  which  were  stored  all  of  the  originals  from  which  the 


100  THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTOX 

plans  for  the  air  craft  were  perfected.  Had  these  gone,  there 
would  have  remained  nothing  of  the  priceless  data  save  what 
exists  in  the  brain  of  Orville  Wright. 

At  the  height  of  the  flood  a  house  adjoining  the  factory 
took  fire.  There  were  no  means  to  fight  the  flames.  For  sev- 
eral hours  the  factory  was  in  peril,  but  a  special  providence 
protected  it  and  it  came  out  of  both  flood  and  fire  unscathed. 

"We  were  lucky,"  said  Orville  Wright,  whimsically,  on 
Monday.  "It  is  the  irony  of  fate  that  at  the  critical  moment 
I  was  not  able  to  get  away  with  my  folks  on  one  of  my  own 
machines.  However,  we  came  through  all  right  and  there 
doesn't  seem  to  be  anything  more  to  be  said." 

Just  one  week  after  the  coming  of  the  deluge  Governor 
Cox  entered  his  home  city  for  the  first  time,  accompanied 
by  several  of  the  members  of  the  Ohio  Flood  Relief 
Committee. 

Governor  Cox  praised  Mr.  Patterson  for  his  invaluable  part 
in  the  relief  work.  "Mr.  Patterson  is  the  one  man  who  is  in 
the  eye  of  America  more  than  any  onu  other  man,"  said  the 
Governor. 

Mr.  Patterson,  after  he  returned  Tuesday  night  in  company 
with  H.  E.  Talbott,  chief  engineer,  from  a  tour  of  sections 
of  Dayton  thai  were  swept  by  the  flood,  issued  a  statement  in 
which  lie  said: 

"Dayton  is  facing  one  of  the  gravest  problems  that  any 
city  of  the  world  ever  faced  and  we  want  the  world  to  know 
we  need  money  and  food  for  our  striken  people." 

In  speaking  of  a  tentative  plan  to  ask  the  Federal  Govern- 


THE   RECUPERATION   OF  DAYTON  101 

ment  for  a  loan  of  from  $20,000,000  to  $40,000,000  to  be  used 
in  reconstruction  work,  Mr.  Patterson  said : 

"At  a  meeting  of  bankers  and  officials  of  the  building 
associations  this  evening  it  was  decided  to  make  an  appeal 
for  Federal  aid.  The  banks  and  building  associations  have 
$60,000,000  worth  of  assets  which  they  will  put  up  as  collateral. 
It  may  be  deemed  advisable  to  ask  the  Government  to  give 
us  some  financial  assistance.  We  feel  that  the  disaster  is 
an  emergenc}^  which  would  justify  extraordinary  action  on 
the  part  of  Congress." 

Since  Sunday  more  than  $750,000  in  cash  was  received 
from  banks  in  Cincinnati  to  replace  damaged  money  in  local 
banks  which  remained  closed  until  April  8th. 

DEATH   AND    PROPERTY   LOSS 

Mr.  Talbott  estimated  that  the  property  loss  in  Mont- 
gomery County  totaled  at  least  $150,000,000.  He  declared 
that  one  manufacturing  company  alone  had  lost  half  a  million 
dollars. 

Although  several  carloads  of  provisions  were  received  on 
Tuesday,  officials  in  charge  of  relief  work  stated  that  the  food 
situation  was  a  matter  of  grave  concern.  "We  must  have 
rations  for  more  than  100,000  people  for  an  indefinite  period," 
Mr.  Patterson  declared. 

A  carload  of  automobile  tires,  contributed  by  an  Akron 
rubber  company  for  use  in  relief  work,  arrived  on  Tuesday. 

One  of  the  great  losses  sustained  from  the  flood  was  that 
which  befell  the  public  library.   An  inspection  of  the  institu- 


102    THE  RECUPERATION  OF  DAYTON 

tion  disclosed  the  fact  that  the  children's  library,  the  medical 
library  and  the  reference  library  had  been  wiped  out  of 
existence.  Included  in  the  loss  were  all  the  public  and  official 
accounts  and  copies  of  the  newspapers  dating  from  the  first 
issues,  back  in  1822,  none  of  which  could  be  replaced. 

County  Coroner  John  McKemy,  who  in  the  week  following 
the  flood  handled  nearly  one  hundred  bodies,  said  that  at 
least  twenty-five  bodies  were  disposed  of  before  he  was 
released  from  his  imprisonment  by  the  flood.  He  estimated 
that  the  number  of  lives  lost  from  the  flood  in  Dayton  exceeded 
two  hundred. 

THE   TASK   OF   REBUILDING 

So  day  followed  day  in  the  recuperation  of  Dayton;  but, 
looking  ahead,  it  was  evident  to  the  magnificent  corps  of 
expert  men  in  charge  of  the  work  that  months  must  elapse 
before  all  Daytonians  could  again  live  in  their  own  homes. 
There  were  15,000  residences  to  plaster  and  paper  before  they 
could  be  occupied.  There  were  4,500  houses  to  build  founda- 
tions under,  to  straighten,  re-roof,  put  in  doors  and  windows, 
rebuild  chimneys  and  make  other  repairs  before  their  owners 
could  move  in  again.  There  were  2,000  houses  to  raze  and 
new  structures  to  be  built. 

The  Citizens'  Relief  Committee,  on  advices  from  engineers, 
decided  that  this  reconstruction  work  would  require  four 
months,  even  if  building  material  could  be  obtained  promptly. 

So  far  as  the  business  and  industrial  buildings  were  con- 
cerned, it  was  estimated  by  architects  who  looked  over  the 


THE   RECUPERATION    OF   DAYTON  103 

different  premises  that  it  would  require  eight  months  before 
repair  work  and  rebuilding  could  be  accomplished.  In  the 
interim  business  was  done  in  whatever  premises  were  available. 

Thousands  of  men  were  employed,  together  with  many 
teams  of  horses,  and  work  was  pushed  to  the  utmost  in  all 
departments.  Surveys  of  the  damage  done  were  made  and 
large  quantities  of  material  were  ordered  by  telegraph,  to 
be  shipped  immediately. 

Generations  must  come  and  go  before  the  Dayton  flood  will 
be  forgotten,  and  standing  out  in  bright  contrast  with  all  else 
there  will  perhaps  remain  longest  the  inspiring  picture  of 
the  energy  and  fortitude  with  which  the  stricken  residents 
set  about  the  retrievement  of  their  city  from  the  devastation 
of  the  angry  waters. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Dayton:  "The  City  of  a  Thousand  Factories" 

survivor  of  six  floods — established  by  revolutionary 
soldiers — physical  characteristics — other  of  day- 
ton's  features  of  interest — a  city  of  civic  pride — 
"a  thousand    factories" — its  success. 

DAYTON  has  stood  in  the  shadow  of  disaster  from 
flood  ever  since  its  foundation.  No  less  than  six 
times  previous  to  the  present  inundation  have  the 
rivers  which  flow  through  it  left  their  accustomed  courses 
and  brought  death  and  destruction  of  property  upon  the 
town.  The  first  of  these  floods  occurred  in  1805,  the  very 
year  that  Dayton  was  incorporated  as  a  town.  The  sixth 
was  in  1898  and  the  others  in  the  years  1847,  1863,  1866  and 
1886. 

The  site  of  the  present  city  was  purchased  in  1795  by  a 
group  of  Revolutionary  soldiers  and  laid  out  as  a  town  in  the 
following  year  by  one  of  them,  who  named  it  after  Jonathan 
Dayton,  a  Jerseyman  who  had  fought  in  the  Revolution  and 
who  later  served  in  Congress  and  the  United  States  Senate. 
It  became  the  county  seat  of  Montgomery  County  in  1803  and 
received  its  city  charter  in  1841,  something  more  than  a  score 

(104) 


"■  "^^*cWWW3*i'3^ 


CITY  OF  A  THOUSAND  FACTORIES  105 

of  years  after  the  opening  of  the  Miami  Canal  gave  a  boom 
to  its  growth  and  prosperity. 

PHYSICAL   CHARACTERISTICS 

Within  the  city  limits  the  waters  of  Wolf  Creek,  Stillwater 
and  Mad  Rivers  unite  with  those  of  the  great  Miami.  The 
latter  stream  flows  through  the  city  from  north  to  south. 
As  it  reaches  the  corporation  limits  at  the  north  it  sweeps 
to  the  westward  and  is  joined  by  Stillwater  River  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  the  court  house.  Then  it  takes  an  easterly  course 
for  half  a  mile  and  is  joined  by  the  Mad  River  at  a  point 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  court  house. 

The  river  then  bends  again  to  the  west  for  more  than  half 
a  mile  and  is  joined  by  Wolf  Creek.  Its  course  lies  thereafter 
to  the  southeast.  Great  bridges,  some  of  them  of  great  archi- 
tectural beauty,  cross  all  of  these  streams.  The  Miami  Canal 
takes  water  from  the  Mad  River  about  two  miles  northeast 
of  the  court  house,  runs  parallel  with  the  Mad  River  to  its  con- 
fluence with  the  Miami  and  then  ru  ns  southward  to  the  city 
limits. 

The  city  is  regularly  laid  out,  the  street  and  house  number 
plan  being  arranged  with  arithmetical  exactness.  Main 
Street  is  the  center  of  this  system  and  the  house  numbers 
begin  from  it  or  the  point  nearest  it  on  the  streets  that  run 
east  or  west.  For  the  streets  running  north  and  south  the 
house  numbers  begin  on  Third  Street  or  the  point  nearest 
Third  Street.  Main  and  Third  Streets  are  respectively  the 
dividing  lines  of  all  streets  crossing  them. 


106  CITY  OF  A  THOUSAND  FACTORIES 

SPLENDID    PUBLIC   BUILDINGS 

The  court  house  stands  at  Main  and  West  Third  Streets. 
Distances  are  measured  from  it,  and  it  is  at  the  center  of 
the  scheme  according  to  which  streets  are  laid  out.  Its 
original  portion  was  modeled  after  the  Greek  Parthenon  and 
is  built  of  rough  white  marble  taken  from  quarries  in  the 
vicinity.  It  is  only  one  of  the  many  buildings  of  which  the 
city  is  proud.  Among  others  are  the  Steele  High  School,  St. 
Mary's  College,  Notre  Dame  Academy,  Memorial  Building, 
Arcade  Building,  Reibold  Building,  post  office,  Algonquin 
Hotel,  public  library  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building. 
-'  There  is  also  the  Union  Biblical  Seminary  and  a  publishing 
house  connected  therewith.  The  Central  Theological  Semi- 
nary was  established  in  1908.  Among  charitable  institutions 
are  the  Dayton  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Miami  Valley 
and  St.  Elizabeth  hospitals,  the  Christian  Deaconess', 
Widows'  and  Children's  homes  and  the  Door  of  Hope,  a  home 
for  girls.  "  Just  outside  the  city  is  the  central  branch  of  the 
National  Home  for  Disabled  Soldiers.  In  addition  to  these 
buildings  there  are  a  number  of  very  handsome  churches. 

other  of  dayton's  features  of  interest 

Dayton  is  on  the  Erie,  the  Dayton  and  Union  and  the 
Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  Railroads. 
There  are  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  trains  entering  the 
city  daily.  The  Union  Station  was  opened  to  the  public  in 
July,  1900,  and  cost,  including  tracks,  $900,000.  The  city 
has  an  area  of  ten  and  three-quarter  square  miles. 


CITY  OF  A  THOUSAND  FACTORIES  107 

The  Mayor,  Treasurer,  Auditor,  Solicitor,  and  Board  of 
Public    Service,    of   three   members,  are  elected  by  popular 

election.     The  Board  of  Public  Safety,  of  two  members,  and 

the   Board   of   Health,   are   appointed   by  the    Mayor   and 

confirmed  by  Council.    The  City  Council,  composed  of  thirteen 

members  from  ten  wards,   is  elected  by  popular  vote,  for 

two  years,  each  member  receiving  an  annual  salary  of  $250. 

It  is  a  legislative  body  only. 

The  supply  of  water  for  the  city  is  almost  inexhaustible  in 
quantity  and  of  absolute  purity.  In  1904  there  were  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  miles  of  street  mains,  1,300  fire 
hydrants  and  15,503  service  taps.  The  Fire  Department 
has  a  force  of  ninety  men,  fourteen  engine-houses,  fifty  horses 
maintained  at  a  cost  of  $86,728.48,  and  with  property  worth 
$375,000.  A  complete  system  of  surface  and  underground 
sewerage,  both  storm  and  sanitary,  is  provided.  In  1904 
there  were  sixty-seven  and  nine-tenths  miles  of  storm  sew- 
erage. 

There  are  seven  National  Banks  and  two  Savings  and 
Trust  Companies.  Dayton  takes  rank  as  foremost  in  build- 
ing associations  of  any  city  of  its  size  in  the  country.  A 
large  number  of  the  20,000  or  more  homes  in  the  city  have 
been  built  with  the  aid  of  these  associations. 

A  potent  force  in  the  development  of  the  city  has  been  the 
electric  traction  lines,  of  which  Dayton  has  more  than  any 
other  city  in  Ohio.  There  are  nine  lines,  with  a  total  mileage 
of  three  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles,  which  radiate  in  all 
directions  through  the  populous  and  rich  country  of  which 


108  CITY  OF  A  THOUSAND  FACTORIES 

Da3^ton  forms  the  center.  The  city  railway  lines,  three  in 
number,  have  a  total  mileage  of  nearly  one  hundred  miles 
and  render  excellent  service. 

The  Dayton  publio  school  system  has  for  many  years 
enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  school 
systems  in  the  West. 

Dayton  had  the  first  library  incorporated  in  the  state,  one 
having  been  established  in  1805.  The  Public  Library  was 
opened  in  1855  and  is  supported  by  public  taxation,  having 
an  income  of  $18,000  per  annum.  There  are  five  daily  news- 
papers, each  with  weekly  editions,  besides  seventeen  church 
and  other  publications.  There  are  also  three  large  church 
publication  houses. 

The  city  hospitals  include  the  St.  Elizabeth  Hospital,  the 
Miami  Valley  Hospital,  and  the  Protestant  Hospital,  which 
has  a  large  central  building  known  as  the  Frank  Patterson 
Memorial  of  Operative  Surgery,  one  of  the  most  complete 
buildings  for  its  purpose  in  the  United  States.  The  Dayton 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  is  maintained  by  the  state. 
The  Hospital  of  the  National  Military  Home  which  adjoins 
the  city  is  the  largest  military  hospital  in  the  world  and  has 
an  average  of  600  patients,  all  of  whom  arc  veteran  volun- 
teer  soldiers  of  the  Civil  and  Cuban  Wars. 

A   CITY    OF   CIVIC   PRIDE 

Dayton  was  early  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  civic  pride  and 
the  results  are  seen  in  a  system  of  drives  and  parks.  The 
stroets  arc  well  built  and  numerous  good  hard  gravel  roads 


CITY  OF  A  THOUSAND  FACTORIES  109 


) 


radiate  into  the  surrounding  country,  a  fertile  farming  regior 
which  abounds  in  limestone.  The  levee  along  the  Miami  is 
made  of  hard  gravel  and  is  wide  enough  at  the  top  to  form  a 
foundation  for  a  drive. 


"a  thousand  factories" 


Dayton  is  sometimes  known  as  "the  City  of  a  Thousand 
Factories, "  and  some  of  its  varied  industries  are  known 
throughout  the  world.  Leading  these  is,  of  course,  the 
National  Cash  Register  Company,  which  employs  something 

more  than  7,000  men. 

In  addition  to  cash  registers  there  are  manufactured  agri- 
cultural machinery,  clay-working  machinery,  cottonseed 
and  linseed  oil  machinery,  railway  cars,  carriages  and  wagons, 
automobiles,  flying  machines,  sewing  machines,  paper,  furni- 
ture, soap  and  tobacco.  Almost  every  industrial  product 
finds  a  maker  in  this  town.  Barnum  &  Smith  are  the  well 
known  manufacturers  of  street  cars.  There  is  the  Davis 
Sewing  Machine  Company,  the  Speedwell  Automobile  Com- 
pany and  many  others.  Water-power  in  abundance  is  supplied 
from  the  Mad  River. 

Dayton  is  the  fifth  largest  city  in  Ohio.  The  final  abstract 
of  the  Federal  census  for  1910  placed  the  population  at  118,- 
577,  as  compared  with  85,333  in  1900  and  01,220  in  1890. 

With  its  industries  so  diversified,  its  banks  and  building 
associations  so  strong  and  uniformly  successful,  and  with  its 
people  so  well  educated,  it  is  one  of  the  richest  and  most 
prosperous  communities  in  the  Union. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  Devastation  of  Columbus 

the  rising  flood — most  of  the  city  dark — great  areas 
under  water — the  militia  in  control — the  relief  of 
the  victims — the  extent  of  the  disaster — stories  of 
the  horror — orders  to  shoot  looters — recovering 
the  dead — governor  cox  indefatigable — hungry  ref- 
ugees seize  food — incidents  of  heroism — scenes  of 
pathos — loss  by  death  and  of  property — the  work  of 
reconstruction. 

AT   Columbus,  on   Tuesday  night,  March  25th,  darkness 
/-%      settled  down  on  a  swirling  flood  that  covered  large 
areas  of  the  city.     Thousands  of  persons  were  sep- 
arated  from   members   of   their   families   and   were   frantic 
because  they  were  unable  to  get  into  communication  with 
their  homes. 

THE    RISING   FLOOD 

Hundreds  of  fathers,  sons,  brothers,  sisters  and  daughters 
had  left  their  homes  on  the  west  side  of  the  city  in  the  morn- 
ing to  go  to  work,  before  the  Scioto  River  had  reached  a 
flood  stage.  Rising  suddenly,  the  water  cut  them  off  from  their 
homes  and  when  night  fell  they  only  knew  that  their  homes 

(110) 


THE   DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS  111 

were  flooded  and  that  the  members  of  their  families  were 
dependent  for  food  and  shelter  on  more  fortunate  neighbors. 

Because  the  city  was  in  darkness,  only  meager  details  of  the 
condition  of  the  flood-marooned  inhabitants  were  obtainable. 

Wringing  their  hands,  weeping  and  appealing  vainly  for 
help,  scores  of  girls  crowded  in  as  close  to  the  water's  edge 
in  the  darkness  as  state  troops  and  policemen  on  duty  would 
allow  them,  but  there  was  no  chance  to  cross  the  stream  to 
their  home  district. 

MOST   OF   THE    CITY   DARK 

Owing  to  the  high  water,  electric  lights  in  the  flooded  dis- 
trict and  a  part  of  the  business  section  of  the  city  were  out, 
and  the  water  supply  was  cut  off.  The  supply  of  gas  was  also 
cut  off,  with  a  view  to  preventing  explosions. 

In  Columbus  the  west  side  was  practically  wiped  out,  and 
the  reported  loss  of  life  ranged  from  a  half  dozen  to  200. 
Houses  were  floating  down  the  river  with  people  on  their 
roofs.  Several  fires  in  the  submerged  district  added  to  the 
horrors.  Refugees  slept  in  public  buildings,  while  militia 
helped  the  police  patrol  the  streets,  which  were  in  total 
darkness. 

It  was  estimated  that  over  10,000  persons  were  homeless 
on  the  west  side  as  a  result  of  the  flood  and  that  at  least 
15,000  were  living  on  the  second  floors  of  their  homes.  Only 
about  ten  per  cent  of  the  street  cars  were  able  to  operate 
and  steam  railroad  and  suburban  lines  were  tied  up. 

Damage  amounting  to  $30,000  was  done  by  fires  in   the 


112  THE   DEVASTATION   OF   COLUMBUS 

west  side  during  the  afternoon,  which  for  a  time  threatened 
greater  damage  owing  to  the  water  supply  being  cut  off. 
Even  had  there  been  water,  most  of  the  fire-fighting  facilities 
were  on  the  east  side  of  the  city  and  unable  to  reach  the  sec- 
tion affected. 

GREAT  AREA  UNDER  WATER 

Bridges  connecting  the  wrest  side  with  the  eastern  portion 
of  Columbus  were  swept  away  shortly  after  noon.  Dozens 
of  smaller  bridges  went  down.  Hundreds  of  men  were 
marooned  in  factories  on  the  west  side,  and  police  and 
National  Guardsmen  were  making  rescues  in  boats  where  it 
was  possible.  All  street  car  traffic  was  abandoned.  Fifteen 
hundred  homes  were  flooded. 

With  a  great  roar  the  levee  at  the  foot  of  Broad  Street  let 
go  shortly  before  eleven  o'clock,  sending  down  a  deluge  of 
water  that  swelled  the  Scioto  River  and  covered  a  great  area. 
Soveral  small  buildings  collapsed.  Just  before  the  break  the 
police  ordered  all  persons  in  the  lowlands  to  leave  their  homes 
quickly  and  flee  for  high  land.  All  fire  and  police  apparatus 
assisted  in  the  work.  The  residents  were  told  not  to  stop  for 
clothes  or  valuables. 

The  Sandusky  Street  levee  also  collapsed,  permitting  the 
water  to  wash  out  a  railroad  embankment  and  pour  into  all 
the  low  districts  between  the  river  and  Sandusky  Street.  With 
water  to  the  hubs,  a  horse-drawn  wagon  galloped  out  West 
Broad  Street  filled  with  police,  who  shouted  as  they  went  a 
warning  to  all  to  fly  to  the  hills. 

While  being  swept  down  the  channel  of  the  swollen  Scioto 


THE   DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS  113 

River  just  as  darkness  was  gathering  late  in  the  day,  a  man, 
woman  and  child  were  rescued  from  the  roof  of  a  house  that 
had  been  torn  from  its  foundation  by  the  flood.  Two  other 
children  of  the  same  family  fell  into  the  water  and  were 
drowned. 

THE   MILITIA   IN   CONTROL 

State  troops  at  the  order  of  Governor  Cox  patrolled  the 
streets  in  the  flooded  sections  of  the  city  and  scores  of  auto- 
mobiles were  busy  carrying  the  suffering  to  higher  ground. 

Meantime,  the  rain  which  began  Sunday  night  continued, 
at  times  moderately  and  at  other  times  in  torrents.  The 
fact  that  the  water  had  already  destroyed  several  bridges  and 
broken  a  levee  gave  cause  for  the  alarm  that  other  levees 
might  break  and  further  damage  result. 

Because  of  the  proportions  of  the  flood,  which  washed  out 
nearly  every  bridge  of  steam  and  electric  roads  leading  out 
of  Columbus,  nearly  all  train  service  was  annulled. 

Floodgates  were  closed  against  all  trains  coming  in  or  going 
out  of  Columbus  on  all  roads  except  the  Norfolk  and  Western. 
A  train  on  that  road  practically  swam  into  the  Union  Station 
at  9  p.  m.  after  having  crept  along  through  high  waters  for 
most  of  the  run  from  Portsmouth  to  Columbus. 

During  the  day  several  trains  on  roads  from  the  East  were 
detoured  through  Columbus  over  the  Norfolk  and  Western, 
but  this  was  discontinued  because  of  washed-out  bridges 
between  Columbus  and  Pittsburgh  and  other  points.  Nor- 
folk and  Western  officials  said  they  had  no  assurance  that 
they  would  be  able  to  operate  any  trains  from  here. 


114         THE   DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS 

Ten  solid  miles  of  Pullman  and  other  trains,  including  the 
Twentieth  Century  Flyer,  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad, 
extended  from  Lima  to  Lafayette,  held  up  by  a  wash-out. 
Repairs  allowed  the  trains  to  move  on  about  eleven  o'clock. 

In  taking  charge  of  the  relief  work  Governor  Cox  issued  an 
order  directing  Adjutant-General  John  C.  Speaks  to  call  out 
the  entire  National  Guard  of  the  state  for  duty  in  the  flooded 
districts. 

BRIDGES   SWEPT   AWAY 

Bridges  were  swept  away,  barring  those  who  would  have 
fled  to  places  of  safety.  The  rush  of  waters  caught  hun- 
dreds in  their  homes,  and  as  the  darkness  fell  the  scramble 
to  escape  became  wild  and  foreboding.  Those  who  were  able 
to  do  anything  sent  their  "appeals  for  aid  to  outlying  cities 
before  the  wires  had  absolutely  failed. 

Added  to  the  terrors  of  flood  and  darkness  was  that  of  fire. 
In  the  wild  rush  for  places  of  safety  that  followed  the  first 
warning  of  the  danger  from  the  bursting  levees,  lamps  were 
toppled  over,  electric  wires  were  crossed  and  soon  flames  were 
mounting  high  in  many  sections  of  the  city. 

Representative  H.  S.  Bigelow  introduced  a  bill  in  the  legis- 
lature to  appropriate  $100,000  for  the  flood  sufferers  in  Ohio, 
the  money  to  be  handled  under  the  direction  of  the  Gov- 
ernor. 

With  no  change  in  the  number  of  reported  dead  in  this 
city,  estimates  on  Wednesday  placed  the  probable  dead  at 
from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty.  Columbus  was 
still  being  drenched  and  torn  by  flood  waters  of  the  Scioto 


THE  DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS  115 

and  Olentangy  Rivers.  The  scene  of  devastation  on  the  west 
side  was  partly  made  visible  to  residents  of  other  sections  of  the 
city,  for  the  first  time  in  two  days.  The  isolation  of  the  west- 
ern section  again  became  real  when  the  last  remaining  bridge 
gave  way  before  the  torrents. 

Numerous  persons  who  were  considered  conservative  as- 
serted that  they  saw  scores  of  bodies  float  down  stream  and 
dozens  of  persons  carried  away  in  their  houses. 

Miss  Esther  Eis,  rescued  from  her  home  on  the  west  side, 
said  she  saw  the  house  with  George  Griffin,  wife  and  seven 
children  collapse  and  disappear,  and  another  house  contain- 
ing John  Way,  wife  and  five  children,  break  up  in  the  flood. 

Besides  the  actual  tragedies  that  were  enacted  in  con- 
nection with  the  flood  the  most  exciting  incident  occurred 
at  the  announcement  that  the  storage  dam,  several  miles 
north  of  the  city,  had  broken,  sending  its  great  flood  to  aug- 
ment that  of  the  Scioto  River. 

The"scene  that  followed  was  one  of  wild  panic  in  all  parts 
of  the  city.  Patrolmen,  soldiers  and  citizens  in  automobiles, 
tooting  horns,  ringing  gongs  and  calling  through  megaphones 
a  warning  to  every  one  to  seek  safety  in  the  higher  parts  of 
the  east  side,  sent  thousands  in  flight,  while  many,  stunned 
by  the  supposed  impending  disaster,  collapsed  from  fear  or 
gave  way  to  hysteria. 

It  was  more  than  an  hour  before  the  report  was  officially 
denied.  Police  officials  assert  that  the  report  was  made  to 
them  by  persons  connected  with  the  military  end  of  the 
patrols. 


116  THE   DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS 

City  officials  said  that  the  storage  dam  was  holding  fast 
against  the  millions  of  gallons  of  water  that  were  being  poured 
against  it,  and  they  expressed  confidence  that  it  would  con- 
tinue to  do  so  despite  the  great  pressure  upon  it. 

The  Governor  telegraphed  the  War  Department  at  Wash- 
ington, asking  that  50,000  tents  and  100,000  rations  be  made 
available  for  use  and  distribution  by  the  Ohio  National 
Guard. 

Governor  Cox  also  sent  out  appeals  for  aid  to  the  Governors 
of  all  the  border  States  of  Ohio,  including  Pennsylvania,  West 
Virginia,  Michigan,  Indiana  and  Kentucky.  Tents  and  pro- 
visions were  badly  needed,  according  to  the  Governor's  appeal. 

After  working  all  night  in  the  Adjutant-General's  office  in 
I  he  State  House,  officers  of  the  Ohio  National  Guard  reported 
that  they  had  succeeded  in  assembling  3,500  militiamen,  ready 
for  service  in  the  flood  districts. 

Mobilized  at  all  points  of  the  state,  companies  and  regi- 
ments of  the  Ohio  military  force  started  at  daybreak  on 
Wednesday  for  the  stricken  cities  and  towns  as  soon  as 
arrangements  for  their  transportation,  the  most  serious 
problem  confronting  the  militia  headquarters,  could  be 
arranged.  The  relief  which  they  carried  was  held  back  by 
the  lack  of  railroad  facilities  everywhere. 

THE    RELIEF   OF   THE   VICTIMS 

Howard  Elting,  president  of  the  Chicago  Association  of 
Commerce,  telegraphed  Governor  Cox  that  citizens  of  Chi- 
cago were  raising  a  relief  fund  for  flood  sufferers. 


THE  DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS         117 

"I  am  pleased  to  state/'  the  telegram  said,  "that  $100,000 
will  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  Ohio  through  the  American 
Red  Cross  Society." 

The  Senate  passed  the  Lowry  Bill  making  appropriation 
for  the  relief  of  the  flood  sufferers,  but  increased  the  amount 
to  $500,000. 

The  action  was  taken  in  response  to  the  following  message 
from  the  Governor: 

"The  flood  disaster  that  has  befallen  our  state  is  of  such 
magnitude  in  loss  of  life  and  human  suffering  that  I  respect- 
fully urge  upon  your  honorable  body  the  importance  and  pro- 
priety of  making  an  appropriation  for  the  succor  of  those  in 
distress. 

"May  I  further  suggest  that  it  be  of  such  size  and  made 
with  such  dispatch  as  to  reflect  the  great  heart  and  resource 
of  our  commonwealth?" 

THE   EXTENT   OF   THE    DISASTER 

On  Thursday  it  was  apparent  that  the  part  of  the  city 
between  Central  and  Sandusky  Avenues  was  almost  wiped 
out,  and  estimates  of  the  death  toll  of  the  flood  in  this  city 
ran  into  the  hundreds. 

It  was  not  until  Thursday  when  the  waters  began  to  recede, 
and  after  two  nights  of  horror,  during  which  hundreds  of 
people  clung  to  the  housetops,  while  others  sought  safety  in 
trees,  that  the  fact  dawned  upon  the  inhabitants  that  their 
city  had  been  visited  by  as  great  a  calamity  perhaps  as  that 
which  had  fallen  upon  the  Miami  Valley. 


118  THE   DEVASTATION   OF   COLUMBUS 

The  bodies  of  200  persons  lay  huddled  in  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church  on  Avondale  Avenue,  according  to  0.  H.  Ossman, 
an  undertaker,  who  explored  the  flood  district  in  a  rowboat. 

He  said  this  report  was  made  to  him  by  a  man  who  said  he 
had  been  able  to  reach  the  building  and  look  through  the 
windows.  Police  who  sought  to  confirm  the  story  were  unable 
to  reach  the  church  because  of  the  current. 

Ossman  said  nineteen  bodies  had  been  taken  to  his  under- 
taking rooms  and  that  he  has  been  asked  to  be  prepared  to 
care  for  sixty-nine  other  bodies.  He  said  he  counted  fully  two 
hundred  bodies  in  wreckage  on  West  Park  Avenue. 

Members  of  searching  parties  who  were  able  to  explore  the 
west  side  of  the  city,  south  of  Broad  Street,  for  the  first  time 
reported  that  that  section  was  a  scene  of  vast  desolation  for  a 
great  area,  much  of  it  being  still  under  water. 

The  names  of  more  than  a  half  hundred  persons  were  placed 
under  the  caption  "known  dead,"  while  the  list  of  probable 
dead  was  too  great  to  be  collated  at  that  time.  The  number 
of  missing  and  unaccounted  for,  it  was  said,  would  reach  far 
into  the  hundreds. 

An  Associated  Press  operator,  who  was  marooned  for  hours 
in  the  flood  after  it  broke  early  Tuesday,  reached  the  Columbus 
office  Thursday  after  having  traveled  by  a  circuitous  route 
covering  more  than  forty-five  miles  in  order  to  get  into  the 
main  portion  of  the  city. 

He  saw  more  than  a  score  of  bodies  washed  through  the 
flood,  and  said  that  house  after  house  was  carried  away  in  the 
flood.     Many  of  the  small  frame  cottages  were  wrenched  to 


THE   DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS  119 

pieces  by  the  currents  and  their  occupants  thrown  into  the 
water  to  be  seen  no  more. 

It  was  believed  that  many  bodies  would  be  found  at  the 
Sandusky  Street  bridge  or  lodged  against  such  part  of  it  as 
was  left  in  the  river  at  that  point.  Further  exploration  of 
that  part  of  the  west  side  was  begun  Thursday  afternoon. 

Because  she  had  no  home  after  she  was  rescued  from  the 
flood  district,  Miss  Florence  P.  Shaner  and  William  G.  Wahlen- 
maier  were  married.  They  had  intended  being  married  in 
May.  The  girl  was  rescued  by  Wahlenmaier.  Her  mother 
was  drowned  and  their  home  swept  away. 

STORIES   OF   THE   HORROR 

Other  men  who  had  ventured  into  the  flood  district  told 
corresponding  stories  of  awful  loss  of  life.  To  add  to  the 
horrors  of  the  situation  reports  reached  the  State  House 
that  the  buildings  in  the  flood-swept  district  were  being  looted 
by  men  in  rowboats.  To  meet  this  emergency  and  to  better 
patrol  the  west  side,  which  is  under  martial  law,  Governor 
Cox  ordered  Troop  B  of  the  National  Guard  to  patrol  the 
ruined  section  of  the  city.  It  was  believed  the  cavalrymen 
could  cover  more  territory  than  foot  soldiers. 

As  the  waters  receded  the  militia  guarded  the  west  side 
under  arrangements  made  between  the  Adjutant-General's 
department  and  Chairman  Nass  of  the  Columbus  Relief 
Committee. 

Hundreds  of  people  were  still  marooned  in  flooded  homes, 
their  rescue  up  to  that  time  being  impossible  because  of  the 


120         THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS 

swift  current  of  the  river.  Rescued  people  in  dire  straits 
were  brought  to  the  City  Hall  in  a  stream  all  day,  where 
people  by  the  hundreds  waited  to  obtain  news  of  missing  rela- 
tives and  friends. 

Families  were  separated,  and  men,  women  and  children 
stood  night  and  day  at  the  edge  of  the  water  waiting  for  the 
flood  to  subside  that  they  might  reach  abandoned  homes. 

The  body  of  a  man  was  suspended  in  a  tree  near  Glenwood 
Avenue,  beyond  reach  of  the  rescuing  parties.  Other  bodies 
were  among  debris  washed  up  on  the  edge  of  the  waters  in 
the  southwest  end  of  the  city.  _Near  this  debris  were  two 
submerged  street  cars.  ' 

Many  of  the  refugees  were  in  state  institutions  on  the  high 
ground  at  the  west  end.  The  water  fell  several  feet  and  some 
of  the  streets  inundated  could  be  traversed,  but  in  the  low- 
lands, where  it  was  fear„~  the  greater  number  of  dead  would 
be  found,  it  was  several  days  before  a  thorough  search  could 
be  instituted. 

Many  of  the  refugees  were  in  a  pitiable  condition  when 
rescued.  The}'  were  benumbed  by  the  cold  and  suffering  from 
hunger  and  exposure. 

FOUR   BORN   AS   OTHERS   DIE 

Colonel  D.  N.  Oyser,  an  attache  of  the  city  sanitary  depart- 
ment, reported  that  two  truckloads  of  bodies  were  removed 
from  one  point  on  the  west  side. 

The  cold  wave  which  struck  the  section  Wednesday  night 
caused  many  to  freeze,  lose  their  grip,  and  drop  into  the  water. 


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THE   DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS  121 

With  military  glasses  rescuers  standing  on  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad  near  Center  Avenue  could  see  several 
dead  forms  tying  on  the  roof  of  a  building  to  the  east. 

Four  babies  were  reported  to  have  been  born  in  a  school 
house  on  the  hilltop. 

According  to  those  who  invaded  the  stricken  district,  the 
churches,  big  state  institutions  and  storerooms  in  the  hill- 
top section  were  crowded  with  refugees.  They  tell  stories 
of  indescribable  horrors. 

Former  Mayor  George  S.  Marshall,  who  was  in  telephone 
communication  with  Cecil  Randall,  his  law  partner,  said 
that  Mr.  Randall  estimated  the  death  toll  at  several  hundreds. 
Throngs  of  excited  groups  of  people  from  the  flood-stricken 
section  of  the  city  who  were  crowded  into  the  temporary 
rescue  quarters  asserted  that  the  estimate  of  Mr.  Randall  was 
not  exaggerated. 

Neither  the  extent  of  the  awful  tragedies  enacted  during 
the  sweeping  away  of  homes  nor  the  exact  death  tolls  could 
be  known'  for  days  until  the  mass  of  wreckage,  houses  and 
uprooted  trees  which  were  strewn  on  the  level  lowlands  south 
cf  the  citv  were  uncovered.  This  mass  of  debris  was  under 
several  feet  of  water,  with  swift  currents  running  in  many 
directions. 

Many  of  those  rescued  told  of  escaping  from  their  homes 
by  fractions  of  minutes,  just  before  the  rushing  waters  swept 
their  homes  away  and  crushed  them  like  eggshells  against 
bridges.  Scores  of  entire  families,  these  people  assert,  were 
swept  down  with  their  houses  in  the  swift  current. 


122         THE  DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS 

Every  available  inch  of  space  in  the  Columbus  State  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  and  Mt.  Carmel  Hospital  on  the  hilltop 
was  occupied  by  refugees. 

Fire  Chief  Lauer,  who  was  marooned  on  the  hilltop  beyond 
the  flooded  section,  reaching  that  point  of  safety  in  his  auto- 
mobile just  before  the  waters  swept  the  lowlands,  said  that 
he  saw  scores  of  people  standing  on  their  porches  as  the  waters 
swept  down  and  that  he  could  not  see  how  scarcely  any  of 
them  escaped. 

After  two  nights  of  horror,  during  which  hundreds  clung 
to  housetops  calling  for  help  until  their  voices  gave  way, 
while  dozens  perched  in  the  branches  of  trees,  many  were 
still  beyond  the  reach  of  rescuers. 

ORDERS  TO  SHOOT  LOOTERS 

J.  W.  Gaver,  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  Briggsdale,  swore  in 
several  deputies  and  armed  them,  with  instructions  to  shoot 
down  all  looters. 

Relief  trains  from  Marysville  and  London,  bearing  food  and 
clothing,  relieved  the  situation  in  the  refugee  quarters  on  the 
hilltop,  where  hundreds  of  homeless  were  waiting  news  from 
relatives. 

Relief  work  was  directed  toward  rescuing  two  hundred  and 
fifty  from  the  marooned  plant  of  the  Sun  Manufacturing 
Company,  where  they  had  been  imprisoned  for  two  days 
without  food  or  heat.  One  boat  which  got  within  hailing 
distance  before  it  was  stopped  by  the  swirling  current  was 
informed  that  conditions  were  terrible. 


THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS  123 

With  a  blinding  snowstorm  and  the  temperature  falling, 
gnawed  by  hunger  and  suffering  from  the  cold,  the  thousands 
of  flood  sufferers  of  the  state  faced  the  uncertainties  which 
the  freezing  temperature  was  adding  to  their  plight. 

Although  some  of  the  early  morning  reports  said  flood 
waters  were  receding  slowly  in  some  of  the  flooded  sections 
there  was  scarcely  a  perceptible  change  in  the  flood  height. 
In  other  places,  even  though  receding,  the  water  was  still  of 
such  height  as  to  maroon  the  sufferers,  many  of  whom  were 
suffering  from  exposure  which  followed  their  clinging  through- 
out the  night  to  some  points  of  vantage  above  the  murky 
waters.  All  were  facing  the  chilly  winds,  blinding  rain,  sleet 
and  snow. 

Governor  Cox  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  a  holiday 
in  all  districts  flooded  in  Ohio  for  the  next  ten  days.  This 
was  done  to  protect  negotiable  paper  that  might  be  subject 
to  presentation. 

Hundreds  of  the  refugees  harbored  in  the  various  relief 
stations  and  in  private  homes  just  outside  of  the  flooded  dis- 
trict were  separated  from  relatives,  and  many  of  them  believed 
that  lost  sons  or  daughters,  fathers  or  mothers  had  perished. 

The  authorities  were  fearful  of  looting  in  the  flood  district 
and  the  militia,  under  strict  orders,  in  several  cases  arrested 
rescue  workers  and  interfered  with  their  work,  suspecting 
them  of  looting.  A  large  quantity  of  supplies  was  transported 
to  the  flood  district  by  automobile  and  rail,  and  the  refugees 
were  made  comfortable  as  fast  as  they  could  be  released  from 
the  grip  of  the  waters. 


124  THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS 

RECOVERING   THE   DEAD 

Thursday's  bodies  were  recovered  from  jams  of  driftwood 
that  had  piled  up  along  the  shallow  shores  of  the  flood.  All 
of  them  were  badly  mutilated  and  in  several  cases  identifi- 
cation was  difficult.  The  authorities  organized  a  squad  of 
men  to  cover  the  entire  inundated  area  in  the  searcli  of 
bodies.     Up  to  date  fifty-one  known  dead  had  been  reported. 

Hundreds  of  those  whose  homes  were  in  the  flooded  dis- 
trict, but  who  were  marooned  in  the  business  section  of  the 
city,  awajr  from  their  families,  were  able  to  get  to  the  flood 
section  Thursday  by  a  circuitous  route  about  twenty-five 
miles  long.  All  manner  of  vehicles  and  pedestrians  crowded 
the  road  throughout  the  day,  and  at  the  end  of  the  way 
pathetic  reunions  of  families  separated  since  Tuesday  took 
place  in  the  muddy,  flood-swept  streets. 

Daniel  A.  Poling,  general  secretary  of  the  Ohio  Christian 
Endeavor  Society,  issued  an  appeal  to  the  160,000  Christian 
Endeavorers  in  the  state,  urging  them  to  forward  contribu- 
tions to  state  headquarters. 

West  Columbus  remained  virtually  under  martial  law. 
Militia  companies  on  duty  were  ordered  to  shoot  looters 
on  sight.  Thousands  of  curious  people  and  those  with  friends 
and  relatives  in  the  flooded  districts  were  kept  out  of  the  west 
side  by  police  and  troopers.  The  city  relief  station,  at  the 
city  hall,  and  the  newspapers  maintained  and  compiled  lists 
of  the  rescued,  as  well  as  lists  of  the  dead. 

By  Friday  order  was  being  rapidly  evolved  out  of  chaos, 
and  missing  loved  ones  were  being  accounted  for  by  hundreds. 


THE   DEVASTATION   OF   COLUMBUS 


125 


Ample  shelter  and  food  were  being  provided  for  the  thousands 
cf  homeless. 

Flood  waters  drained  off  from  the  devastated  districts,  rail- 
road service  was  slowly  resumed  and  telegraph  and  telephone 
wires  were  being  rest  rung. 


CANADA 


1  COLUMBUS.. 


"™fA     T')J 


.- ^/u*u*uu»  j  COLUMBU5J  _*AM\ 


MAP  SHOWING  ONE  OF  THE  CIRCUITOUS  ROUTES  BY  WHICH  NEWS  OF  THE 
FLOOD  WAS  CARRIED  TO  THE  OUTSIDE  WORLD 


GOVERNOR    COX    INDEFATIGABLE 

For  three  days  Governor  Cox  tirelessly  accomplished  the 
work  of  a  dozen  men,  laboring  from  daylight  to  long  past 
midnight  to  aid  the  unfortunates  of  Ohio.  Kis  hand  guided 
everything  done  in  the  work  of  rescue  and  on  Friday  he  turned 
his  attention  to  new  problems  of  preventing  epidemics,  safe- 


126  THE   DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS 

guarding  life  and  property,  relieving  the  sufferings  of  surviv- 
ing flood  victims  and  the  care  of  the  dead. 

The  hero  of  the  Dayton  disaster,  John  A.  Bell,  the  telephone 
official  who,  marooned  in  a  business  block  had  been  keeping 
Governor  Cox  informed  every  half  hour  of  conditions  in  the 
stricken  city  and  delivering  orders  through  boatmen  who 
rowed  to  his  window,  called  the  State  House  at  daybreak 
and  greeted  the  Executive  with  a  cheery  "Good  morning, 
Governor.     The  sun  is  shining  in  Dayton." 

But  sunshine  gave  way  to  a  blizzard  like  a  snowstorm  later 
in  the  day  and  the  reports  coming  from  Bell  were  less  cheer- 
ing as  the  day  advanced. 

On   Friday   the   Governor   seized   the   railways   to   insure 

passage  of  relief  trains  and  to  keep  sightseers  and  looters 

away  from  the  afflicted  municipalities. 

The  entire  military  force  of  Ohio  was  on  duty  in  the  flooded 

districts,  which  included  practically  the  entire  state.  Because 
of  the  interrupted  communications  headquarters  had  not  been 
able  to  keep  fully  in  touch  with  the  movements  of  all  the  troops. 
The  officers  in  command  in  most  cases  had  to  determine 
routes  and  procure  their  own  transportation.  Under  the  most 
difficult  conditions  they  uniformly  showed  both  energy  and 
ingenuity  in  reaching  their  destination. 

Estimates  of  the  flood  death  list  in  Columbus  continued 
to  range  from  fifty  to  five  hundred,  although  these  figures 
represented  largely  opinions  of  officials  on  duty  in  the  flood 
zone.  The  efforts  of  the  authorities  were  directed  almost 
entirely  to    relieving    the    suffering    of    those    marooned   in 


THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS  127 

houses  in  the  territory  under  water,  and  until  all  of  these  had 
been  rescued  the  search  for  the  dead  did  not  begin  in  earnest. 
The  waters  receded  slowly  on  Friday  and  the  swirling  currents 
abated  a  trifle,  allowing  the  rescue  boats  a  wider  area  of 
activity. 

ORGANIZING   RELIEF 

George  F.  Unmacht,  civil  service  clerk,  connected  with 
the  quartermaster's  department  of  the  United  States  army, 
stationed  at  Chicago,  arrived  in  Columbus  Friday  to  assist 
in  directing  the  distribution  of  supplies.  Rations  for  300,000 
arrived  together  with  tents  for  20,000  persons;  100  hospital 
tents,  400  stoves,  29,000  blankets,  8,900  cots,  100  ranges. 

Officers  at  Columbus  were  ordered  to  report  at  Fort  Wayne, 
Cincinnati,  Youngstown  and  Hamilton,  while  a  hospital 
corps  was  sent  to  the  Columbus  barracks. 

The  Governor's  attention  on  Friday  was  devoted  largely 
to  organization  of  the  work  of  relief.  He  received  telegrams 
notifying  him  of  collections  of  more  than~$250,000.  A  New 
York  newspaper  had  sent  $150,000  subscribed  to  a  fund  it 
raised.  Word  was  received  that  the  Chicago  Chamber  of 
Commerce  had  raised  $200,000,  half  of  which  had  been  for- 
warded to  Ohio.  Judge  Alton  B.  Parker  subscribed  $5,000 
and  James  J.  Hill  $5,000.  A  thousand  dollars  was  sent  from 
Walkerville,  Ontario. 

Governor  Dunne  wired  that  a  bill  appropriating  $100,000 
for  Ohio  flood  sufferers  had  been  introduced  in  the  Illinois 
Legislature,  while  Governor  Osborne  telegraphed  that  the 
Michigan  Assembly  had  appropriated  $20,000. 


128         THE   DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS 

Colonel  Myron  T.  Herrick,  of  Cleveland,  Ambassador  to 
France,  cabled  his  deep  anxiety  over  the  Ohio  disaster,  and 
Governor  Cox  in  reply  asked  him  to  call  a  meeting  of  the 
Ohio  Society  in  Paris  and  wire  funds,  saying  the  losses  exceeded 
the  San  Francisco  earthquake. 

The  Ohio  Society  of  Georgia  wired  the  Governor  it  was 
sorry  and  it  too  was  invited  to  showr  how  much  it  was  sorry. 

HUNGRY   REFUGEES   SEIZE    FOOD 

The  need  for  relief  was  indicated  when  a  company  of 
telephone  linemen  working  outside  of  Columbus  had  their 
supplies  taken  from  them  by  hungry  flood  refugees. 

Governor  Cox  recalled  some  of  his  former  comments  on 
the  need  of  expenditures  for  the  National  Guard.  "The 
National  Guard,"  he  said,  "has  saved  itself.  Its  efficiency 
has  been  a  revelation  to  me."  In  the  organization  so  promptly 
effected  by  the  Governor  the  moment  the  floods  came,  his  most 
efficient  aid  came  from  Adjutant-General  Speaks  and  the 
National  Guard  officers,  and  with  the  Guard  the  work  of  rescue 
and  of  maintaining  order  was  made  possible.  The  officers 
and  men  performed  every  duty  faithfulty. 

Martial  law  prevailed  in  most  of  the  stricken  cities  and  the 
soldiers  prevented  the  looting  of  the  abandoned  houses  and 
cared  for  the  refugees. 

Colonel  Wilson,  of  the  Paymaster's  Department,  was  made 
financial  officer  as  well  as  treasurer  of  the  relief  funds.  Under 
his  direction  and  the  Governor's  supervision  the  Ohio  relief 
commission   prepared   for   a  War   Department   audit,   as  is 


THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS  129 

required  by  the  Red  Cross  Society.  The  Governor  demanded 
that  there  should  be  but  one  relief  committee  in  the  state,  and 
to  that  end  the  local  committees  formed  were  subordinate 
to  the  state  commission. 

INCIDENTS   OF   HEROISM 

The  work  of  rescue  brought  out  many  striking  incidents 
of  personal  heroism. 

From  two  o'clock  Tuesday  afternoon  until  nearly  nightfall 
Wednesday  Charles  W.  Underwood,  a  carpenter  of  this  city, 
held  two  babes  in  his  arms  while  he  clung  to  the  branch  of  a 
tree  near  the  Greenlawn  Cemetery,  where  he  had  been  carried 
fully  a  mile  by  the  current.  One  babe  was  his  own,  the  other 
belonged  to  a  neighbor,  and  as  he  clung  to  them  he  saw  his 
own  twelve-year-old  daughter  on  another  limb  of  the  same 
tree  weaken  from  exposure  and  die,  her  frail  body  swaying 

limply  as  it  hung  over  the  branch.  He  also  saw  a  woman 
refugee  in  the  same  tree  weaken  and  fall  into  the  swirling 
waters.     Underwood  and  the  babes  were  finally  rescued. 

Two  hundred  and  thirty-three  souls  marooned  in  the 
building  of  the  Sun  Manufacturing  Company  succeeded  in 
sending  out  a  note  by  messenger,  praising  the  work  of  John 
Brady,  who,  with  a  skiff,  after  his  home  was  swept  away, 
rescued  two  hundred  men,  women  and  children  and  brought 
them  to  the  Sun  plant.  \ 

"Track  out  at  Columbus  because  of  floods,"  was  the  message 
that  Albert  E.  Dutoit,  a  Hocking  Valley  Railway  engineer, 
read  when  his  train  was  stopped  Wednesday  at  Walbridge, 


130  THE  DEVASTATION   OF  COLUMBUS 

near  Toledo.  His  heart  gave  a  bound,  for  he  knew  his  family 
must  be  threatened.  He  detached  his  engine  from  the  train 
and  started  on  his  race  with  death.  Like  mad  he  shot  his 
engine  across  the  country  between  there  and  Columbus. 
All  night  Wednesday  he  tried  to  get  through  the  military 
lines  and  succeeded  on  Thursday.  He  induced  men  in  motor 
boats  to  rescue  his  family.  In  a  few  more  moments,  he  had 
his  eight-months-old  baby  in  one  arm  with  the  other  around 
the  waist  of  his  wife.  The  reunion  brought  tears  of  sympathy 
to  the  eyes  of  the  rescuers. 

Mrs.  Emil  Wallace,  living  southwest  of  the  city,  in  the  low- 
lands, ran  toward  a  hill  when  she  saw  the  onrushing  waters. 
She  reached  safety  just  as  the  water  was  up  to  her  neck. 
Her  home  was  submerged. 

A  street  car  was  washed  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away  from  the 
track.  The  conductor  and  half  a  dozen  passengers  were 
drowned  like  rats  in  a  trap  before  they  could  get  outof 
the  car.         Xli^r. 

Two  unknown  men  lost  their  lives  while  trying  to  save  a 
twelve-year-old  girl  from  a  raft  floating  near  Greenlawn 
Avenue.  On  horseback  the  men  fought  desperately  against 
the  swift  current  of  the  flood  until  at  last  they  were  carried 
away. 

Nearly  one  hundred  babies  were  born  in  the  flood  district 
and  in  the  refuge  camps  between  Tuesday  morning  and 
Saturday.  In  the  majority  of  cases  neither  the  mothers  nor 
the  babies  received  any  medical  attention.  Many  of  the 
babies  died  from  exposure. 


THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS  131 

As  the  sun  broke  through  a  fringe  of  clouds  Saturday  morn- 
ing it  looked  down  upon  scenes  of  utter  devastation  in  the 
stricken  west  side  of  this  city,  where  a  mighty  torrent  of 
water  had  rendered  what  was  a  prosperous  and  happy  com- 
munity of  40,000  souls  into  a  place  of  death,  want  and  disaster. 

SCENES   OF   PATHOS 

The  scenes  were  full  of  human  pathos.  Torn  bodies,  dis- 
figured almost  beyond  recognition,  were  being  dug  from 
debris.  Whole  families,  marooned  for  four  long  da}rs  and 
nights  in  the  upper  stories  of  houses  that  had  escaped  as  if  by 
miracle,  many  of  them  without  food  or  water  and  in  fear  of 
constant  death  by  flood  or  flame,  were  being  reached  by 
rescuers. 

Many  of  those  rescued  were  in  a  critical  condition  from  the 
long  hours  they  had  spent  in  the  bitter  cold — their  clothing 
soaked  by  the  incessant  rainfall  of  three  days  and  nights  and 
no  fuel  or  bedding  with  which  to  combat  their  fearful  con- 
dition. The  water  was  subsiding  materially  and  the  work  of 
rescue  was  thus  made  easier. 

tLThe  work  of  the  searching  parties  in  the  flooded  district 
increased  the  list  of  bodies  recovered  from  the  water  to  sixty- 
one.  All  of  these  were  lodged  in  the  temporary  morgue,  and 
most  of  them  were  identified. 

Accurate  estimates  of  the  dead  were  still  impossible.  Safety 
Director  Bargar  said  not  more  than  one  hundred  had  been 
drowned.  Coroner  Benkert  asserted  that  the  loss  of  life 
would  reach  200,  while  former  Mayor  Marshall,  commanding 


132  THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS 

the  rescue  workers  in  the  southern  end  of  the  flooded  district 
held  that  both  estimates  were  too  high. 

Of  the  sixty-one  bodies  recovered  twenty-seven  had  been 
identified. 

Estimates  placed  property  loss  at  from  $15,000,000  to  $30,- 
000,000.  But  no  one  seemed  to  care  about  the  monetary  loss. 
The  city  was  staggered  by  the  weight  of  human   suffering. 

Governor  Cox  received  a  telegram  from  D.  T.  McCabe, 
vice-president  of  the  Pennsylvania  Lines,  offering  to  transport 
free  of  charge  all  relief  supplies  to  points  in  the  flooded  area 
of  the  state  if  properly  consigned  to  the  relief  authorities. 
The  Governor  also  received  a  telegram  from  Governor  Ralston, 
of  Indiana,  saying  that  ten  carloads  of  supplies  had  been 
started  for  Ohio  points  by  Indiana  relief  organizations. 

Approximately  one  thousand  persons,  refugees  from  the 
Dayton  flood,  arrived  in  Columbus  on  Saturday,  most  of  them 
having  made  their  way  by  automobile  and  trains.  As  if 
pursued  by  tragedy,  it  fell  to  them  that  their  landing  place 
in  this  city  should  be  within  the  radius  of  the  recently-flooded 
hilltop  district  of  the  west  side.  The  arrival  of  the  refugees 
was  unexpected  and  no  arrangements  had  been  made  to  care 
for  them.  Adjutant-General  John  C.  Speaks  was  notified  and 
said  that  the  state  would  do  the  best  that  could  be  done  to 
provide  them  with  food  and  shelter.  General  Speaks  said 
that  the  local  relief  committees  were  being  sorely  taxed,  but 
that  he  had  been  advised  by  the  Columbus  relief  commit- 
tees that  they  would  give  all  possible  assistance  in  housing 
and  feeding  the  Dayton  arrivals. 


THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS         133 

Scores  of  transfer  wagons  traversed  the  inundated  streets 
carrying  relief  to  the  hundreds  marooned  in  the  upper  stories 
of  houses.  An  element  adding  to  the  difficulty  of  the  situa- 
tion was  the  refusal  of  hundreds  to  leave  their  homes  in  the 
submerged  district.  This  despite  the  fact  that  they  were 
compelled  to  live  in  damp  upper  stories,  with  little  heat  or 
cooking  facilities  and  in  the  face  of  threatened  illness. 

"  We've  saved  our  bedding  and  furniture,  and  that's  all  we 
have,"  said  one  of  these.  "We  are  not  going  to  take  any 
chances  of  losing  that." 

City  Health  Officer  Dr.  Louis  Kahn  ordered  an  immediate 
cleaning  up.  The  health  authorities  also  called  attention  to 
the  necessity  of  boiling  all  water  for  drinking  purposes. 

Miss  Mabel  Boardman,  head  of  the  Red  Cross  Society, 
reached  Cincinnati  Saturday  night.  She  came  to  confer  with 
Governor  Cox.  The  Governor  again  asserted  that  the  prop- 
erty damage  caused  by  the  floods  in  Ohio  would  aggregate 
$300,000,000,  and  that  this  amount  would  be  increased  by 
the  high  water  in  the  Ohio  River. 

With  the  water  fast  receding  in  Columbus  and  the  danger 
stage  passed,  the  food  problem  promised  on  Sunday  to  become 
the  most  serious  for  the  relief  workers  to  solve. 

Mayor  Hunt,  of  Cincinnati,  had  been  sending  food  to  Day- 
ton and  other  places,  but  on  Saturday  as  the  flood  descended 
upon  his  own  city  from  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Ohio  River, 
he  put  an  embargo  on  further  exports  of  provisions.  Though 
fifty-five  carloads  of  provisions  consigned  to  the  state  were  in 
Columbus  last  night,  and  supply  trains  were  headed  for  Ohio 


134  THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS 

from  Chicago,  Washington,  New  York  and  other  places,  Gov- 
ernor Cox  was  by  no  means  reassured  that  the  relief  in  sight 
would  be  sufficient. 

All  of  the  people  in  the  marooned  district  were  reached  and 
those  willing  to  leave  their  homes  were  brought  over  to  the 
east  side  of  the  city  and  cared  for  in  hospitals,  private  homes 
or  temporary  places  of  refuge.  Boats  and  other  contrivances 
were  in  constant  use  canying  provisions  and  fuel  to  those 
who  could  not  leave  their  homes.  Eight  more  bodies  were 
recovered. 

A  majority  of  the  rescued  presented  a  pitiable  sight,  some 
hardly  able  to  stand  on  their  feet  and  others,  thinly  clad  and 
benumbed  by  the  cold,  trembled  as  they  were  lifted  into  the 
boats.  The  hospitals  were  crowded  with  people  danger- 
ously ill  from  days  of  exposure. 

The  morgues,  hospitals  and  places  of  refuge  were  constantly 
besieged  by  people  looking  for  lost  relatives.  Those  received 
related  tales  of  horror  and  heroism  unparalleled  except  in 
great  disasters  like  the  Titanic  or  Johnstown. 

A  year-old  baby,  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  was  washed  ashore 
in  front  of  the  gates  of  the  state  institution  for  feeble-minded. 
Although  chilled  by  the  water  the  child  was  soon  revived. 
Pinned  to  its  underclothing  was  a  piece  of  paper,  upon  which 
the  name,  "Walter  Taylor,"  was  written.  The  boy  was 
restored  to  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Theodore  Taylor, 
twenty-four  hours  later.  The  family  had  been  penned  in  its 
home  for  two  days.  As  the  water  rose  gradually  the  parents 
moved  to  the  second  floor  and  then  to  the  attic.    Finally  the 


THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS  135 

father  was  forced  to  hold  the  child  for  hours  above  his  head. 
Climbing  out  to  the  roof  as  a  last  resort,  the  baby  was  swept 
away  and  the  parents  had  given  it  up  for  dead. 

Governor  H.  D.  Hatfield,  of  West  Virginia,  arrived  in 
Columbus  at  seven  o'clock  Sunday  night  on  a  special  train 
from  Charleston.  The  train  brought  supplies,  motor  boats 
and  skiffs.  The  motor  boats  and  skiffs  were  later  taken 
through  the  different  sections  of  the  city  to  rescue  himdreds 
who  were  marooned.  The  local  military  company  took 
charge  of  the  rescue  work  and  pushed  it  forward  as  rapidly  as 
conditions  would  permit. 

The  sum  of  $50,000  was  raised  by  voluntary  contributions 
in  Columbus  for  a  relief  fund.  In  addition,  the  city  council 
voted  $75,000,  and  great  stores  of  provisions  and  clothing 
were  contributed  by  local  people  and  outsiders.  Thousands 
of  the  homeless  people  were  cared  for  in  homes  of  those  will- 
ing to  share  them,  or  in  public  halls.  One  thousand  were  fed 
daily  in  the  Masonic  Temple. 

In  a  statement  full  of  feeling,  issued  Sunday  evening, 
shortly  before  he  left  the  Executive  office  for  home  and  the 
first  full  night's  rest  he  has  had  in  more  than  a  week,  Gover- 
nor Cox  said: 

"Refreshed  by  the  tears  of  the  American  people,  Ohio  stands 
ready  from  today  to  meet  the  crisis  alone. 

"Ohio  has  risen  from  the  floods.  Such  a  pitiless  blow 
from  Nature  as  we  sustained  would  have  wiped  out  society  and 
destroyed  governments  in  other  days.  We  cannot  speak  our 
gratitude  to  President  Wilson  for  federal  aid,  to  the  Red 


136  THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS 

Cross,  to  states,  municipalities,  trade  organizations  and 
individuals  that  sent  funds  and  supplies.  They  will  never 
know  their  contribution  to  humanity. 

"The  relief  situation,  so  far  as  food  and  clothing  are  con- 
cerned, is  in  hand.  Thankful  to  her  friends  who  succored  her, 
Ohio  faces  tomorrow  serene  and  confident." 

Governor  Cox  and  members  of  the  Legislature  began  on 
Monday  an  outline  of  reconstructive  legislation,  to  be  followed 
in  all  of  the  flood  districts  by  the  state.  It  was  decided  that 
the  San  Francisco  relief  plan  should  be  placed  into  effect  for 
the  Ohio  flood  sufferers.  Under  this  plan  the  relief  was  based 
upon  property  loss  of  the  individual  and  the  income  loss 
incurred.  The  amount  of  relief  each  person  received  was  pro- 
rated on  such  a  basis. 

Upon  the  recommendation  of  Governor  Cox,  the  Legislature 
recessed  until  next  Monday,  thereby  giving  state  officials  a 
week  to  formulate  plans.  Resolutions  warmly  thanking  the 
citizens  of  New  York  State  and  Pennsylvania  for  their  flood 
relief  contributions  were  passed. 

All  that  human  effort  could  accomplish  on  Tuesday  failed 
to  penetrate  the  part  of  the  debris  piled  in  the  west  side,  where, 
it  was  believed,  many  of  the  bodies  of  persons  missing  finally 
would  be  recovered.  As  matters  stood  Tuesday  night,  how- 
ever, eight  more  bodies  had  passed  through  the  morgues. 

In  addition  to  this  number,  was  the  body  of  James  M. 
Kearney,  a  merchant,  who  was  drowned  several  months  ago, 
and  which,  cast  up  by  the  flood,  was  found  lodged  in  a  tree 
when  the  waters  had  receded.    That  many  other  bodies  would 


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To  the  Citizens  of  Dayton: 


n 


ill  be  sounded  at  6:00  p.  m.  by 
the  church  bells.  All  citizens 
must  keep  off  the  streets  from 
that  time  until  5:00  a.  m. 

GEO.  H.  WOOD, 

Brig.-Gen.  Com. 


»»»»■•■■>»  >  1 1 » 


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riml/vruph   by   Cndertcood  <t   Undervwoi. 

Under  the  martial  law  established  at  Dayton,  citizens 
were   kept  off   the   streets  at   night  as   a   precaution 
against   looting 


THE  DEVASTATION  OF  COLUMBUS  137 

be  recovered  after  the  army  of  men  employed  in  the  work  had 
attacked  the  great  pile  of  debris  made  at  several  points  by 
wrecked  homes  was  generally  conceded. 


LOSS   BY   DEATH   AND   OF   PROPERTY 

Four  more  bodies  were  recovered  Wednesday  from  flood 
wreckage,  making  the  total  of  bodies  found  in  this  city  stand 
at  eighty-four.     Of  these  all  except  seven  were  identified. 

Coroner  Benkert,  who  made  a  wide-spread  investigation 
among  families,  some  members  of  which  were  among  the  miss- 
ing, said  that  he  estimated  that  at  least  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  bodies  would  be  recovered.  It  was  expected  that 
other  bodies  that  had  been  washed  down  the  river  would 
never  be  identified  as  Columbus  victims. 

The  property  damage  in  Columbus,  like  the  death  toll,  was 
confined  principally  to  the  west  side,  the  business  and  manu- 
facturing districts  having  gone  almost  unscathed. 

THE   WORK   OF   RECONSTRUCTION 

Governor  Cox  and  the  State  Relief  Commission  on  Tues- 
day left  on  a  tour  of  the  state  to  visit  cities  and  districts  that 
were  hit  hardest  by  the  flood  to  determine  what  relief  was 
necessary  in  each  case.  Before  their  departure,  however, 
conditions  in  Columbus  were  fast  approaching  normal,  and 
the  residents  with  a  cheerful,  courageous  spirit  had  com- 
menced the  repair  of  their  devastated  city. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Columbus:  The  Beautiful  Capital  of  Ohio 

capital  of  ohio  since  1810 — early  history — city  of 
beautiful  streets  and  residences — splendid  public 
commodities — trade  and  industries — characteristics 
of  its  residents. 

COLUMBUS,  Ohio,  the  capital  of  the  state  and  the 
county  seat  of  Franklin  County,  is  located  at  the 
center  of  the  state  at  the  junction  of  the  Scioto  and 
Olentangy  Rivers,  on  a  slightly  elevated  alluvial  plain,  and  is 
nearly  equidistant  from  Cincinnati,  southwest;  Cleveland, 
northeast;  Toledo,  northwest;  and  Marietta,  southeast,  the 
average  distance  from  these  points  being  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  miles.     It  has  a  population  of  some  180,000. 

Columbus  was  made  the  capital  by  the  legislature  in  1810, 
and  became  the  permanent  capital  in  1816,  the  original  territo- 
rial and  state  capital  having  been  Chillicothe.  The  first 
state  buildings  were  of  brick,  and  cost  $85,000.  The  present 
massive  buildings  and  additions  are  of  dressed  native  gray 
limestone,  in  the  Doric  style  of  architecture.  They  cover 
nearly  three  acres  of  ground,  and  their  total  cost  has  been 
$2,500,000. 

038) 


THE   BEAUTIFUL   CAPITAL  OF   OHIO         139 

CITY    OF   BEAUTIFUL    STREETS   AND    RESIDENCES 

As  early  as  1812  Columbus  was  surveyed  in  rectangular 
squares;  it  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in  1816,  and  chartered 
as  a  city  in  1834.  In  general  outline  the  city  resembles  a 
Maltese  cross.  It  extends  eight  miles  north  and  south,  and 
seven  miles  east  and  west  on  its  arms  of  expansion.  Its  long- 
est streets,  High  and  Broad,  bisect  the  city  north  and  south, 
and  east  and  west  respectively.  The  uniform  width  of  the 
former  is  one  hundred  feet,  and  the  breadth  of  the  latter  is 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet.  Broad  Street  is  planted  with 
four  rows  of  shade-trees  for  its  entire  length  east  of  Capitol 
Square,  where  it  penetrates  the  fashionable  residence  district. 
High  Street  is  the  leading  business  thoroughfare.  Capitol 
Square,  a  minature  park  of  ten  acres,  is  situated  at  the  inter- 
section of  these  streets,  two  squares  east  of  the  Scioto  River. 
The  residence  portions  of  the  city  contain  many  beautiful 
homes  and  fine  mansions.  There  are  numerous  apartment 
buildings;  the  houses  of  the  average  people  are  substantial 
and  comfortable.  On  the  business  streets  are  many  handsome, 
commodious  blocks;  many  steel,  brick  and  stone  office  build- 
ings, as  well  as  commodious  railway  buildings  and  stations. 
The  streets  are  wide,  well  paved  and  lighted,  and  are  kept  in' 
good  condition. 

SPLENDID    PUBLIC    COMMODITIES 

The  police  and  fire  departments  are  excellent;  the  water 
supply  is  pure  and  ample,  and  the  sewerage  system  good. 
The  waterworks  are  owned  by  the  city.     A  large  municipal 


140         THE  BEAUTIFUL  CAPITAL  OF  OHIO 

electric-lighting  plant  was  completed  in  1908.  Natural  gas 
is  the  principal  fuel  for  domestic  use.  Bituminous  coal,  in 
unlimited  quantities,  is  found  a  few  miles  to  the  south. 

The  church  buildings  of  Columbus  include  those  of  the  fol- 
lowing religious  denominations:  Methodist  Episcopal,  United 
Presbyterian,  Roman  Catholic,  Lutheran,  Baptist,  Disciples. 
Friends,  Christian  Scientist,  Evangelical,  Jewish,  Independent 
German  Protestant,  German  Evangelical  Protestant,  African 
Methodist  Episcopal,  Seventh  Day  Adventists  and  United 
Brethren.  The  newspapers  and  periodicals  include  English 
and  German  dailies,  secular  weeklies,  and  trade,  professional, 
religious,  fraternal  and  other  publications.  There  are  numer- 
ous public  school  buildings,  four  being  devoted  to  high- 
school  purposes.  Among  institutions  for  higher  education 
are  the  Ohio  State  University,  Capital  City  University  and 
the  Evangelical  Theological  Seminary.  Professional  schools 
include  one  dental  and  three  medical  colleges,  and  a  law  school; 
and  there  are  also  private  and  religious  educational  insti- 
tutions. Columbus  is  the  location  of  a  state  hospital  for  the 
insane;  state  institutes  for  the  education  of  deaf  mutes,  blind 
and  imbecile  youth;  the  Ohio  penitentiary;  county,  city  and 
memorial  buildings;  five  opera  houses;  and  a  board  of  trade 
building.  There  are  five  public  parks  and  a  United  States 
military  post,  Fort  Columbus.  This  post,  known  also  as 
Columbus  Barracks,  was  originally  an  arsenal,  and  now  has 
quarters  for  eight  companies  of  infantry. 

From  Columbus  steam  railroads  radiate  to  all  parts  of  the 
state,  intersecting  all  through  lines  running  east,  west,  north- 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  CAPITAL  OF  OHIO  141 

west,  northeast  and  south;  and  interurban  lines  connect  with 
a  model  street-railway  system. 

TRADE   AND   INDUSTRIES 

Columbus  is  near  the  Ohio  coal  and  iron  fields,  and  has  an 
extensive  trade  in  coal,  but  its  largest  industrial  interests  are 
in  manufactures,  among  which  the  more  important  are  foundry 
and  machine  products,  boots  and  shoes,  patent  medicines, 
carriages  and  wagons,  malt  liquors,  oleomargarine,  iron  and 
steel,  and  steam  railway  cars.  There  are  several  large  quarries 
adjacent  to  the  city. 

CHARACTERISTICS   OF   ITS   RESIDENTS 

The  citizens  of  Columbus  possess  the  characteristic  push 
and  enterprise  of  western  people,  and  much  of  the  culture 
and  artistic  taste  of  those  in  the  east.  The  population  is 
drawn  chiefly  from  the  counties  in  the  state,  and  especially 
from  those  which  are  centrally  located.  The  largest  foreign 
elements  are  German,  Irish,  Welsh,  English  and  Italian,  and 
include  scattered  groups  and  individuals  from  almost  every 
civilized  and  semi-civilized  country  in  the  world. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Cincinnati:    A  New  Center  of  Peril 

A  GREAT  MANUFACTURING  CITY — THE  TUESDAY  CLOUDBURST — 
ANXIOUS  WAITING — HOMES  SUBMERGED — FACTORIES  FORCED 
TO  CLOSE — THE  SITUATION  EVER  GRAVER — EXPLOSIONS  IN 
THE  CITY — THE  CRISIS — FLOOD  DAMAGE. 

CARCELY  had  Dayton,  Columbus  and  Zanesville  begun 
their  real  battle  for  restoration  when  Cincinnati 
became  a  new  peril  center.  Situated  on  the  Ohio 
River  at  the  point  where  the  Muskingum,  Scioto,  the  two 
Miamis,  and  the  Licking  were  pouring  their  millions  of  gallons 
of  flood  water  into  the  river,  the  city  was  bound  to  suffer. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  Buckeye  State  would  never  be  able  to  escape 
from  the  clutches  of  the  great  demon  of  flood. 

A   GREAT  MANUFACTURING   CITY 

Cincinnati  is  the  county  seat  of  Hamilton  County,  in  the 
extreme  southwest  of  the  state,  one  of  the  great  commercial 
and  manufacturing  centers  of  the  Union,  tenth  in  nominal 
rank,  and  seventh  or  eighth  in  fact.  It  is  situated  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Ohio  River,  almost  exactly  half  way  from 
its  origin  at  Pittsburgh  to  its  mouth  at  Cairo,  Illinois. 

(142) 


A  NEW  CENTER  OF  PERIL  143 

On  the  western  side  of  the  city  from  west  to  south  runs 
Mill  Creek,  the  remains  of  a  once  glacial  stream,  whose  gently 
sloping  valley,  half  a  mile  or  more  wide,  forms  an  easy  path 
into  the  heart  of  the  city,  and  was  an  indispensable  factor  in 
determining  its  position.  Highways,  canals  and  railroads 
come  through  it,  and  the  city's  growth  has  pushed  much 
farther  up  this  valley  than  in  other  directions.  The  rail- 
road stockyards  are  on  its  eastern  slope.  Cincinnati  extends 
for  about  fourteen  miles  along  the  river  front,  to  a  width  of 
about  five  in  an  irregular  block  north  from  it,  but  attains  a 
width  of  six  or  seven  miles  at  the  extreme  point  along  the  creek 
valley. 

The  bottom  level  below  the  bluffs  along  the  riverside  is 
the  seat  of  the  river  shipping  business,  and  has  as  well  the 
usual  fringe  of  low  quarters;  it  is  paved,  and  there  is  a  broad 
public  landing  fronted  by  floating  docks,  wharf -boats,  etc. 
Above  are  the  wholesale  and  then  the  retail  business  streets, 
with  great  extent  and  variety  of  fine  business  architecture, 
and  gridironed  with  electric  roads.  The  principal  lines  con- 
verge at  or  near  Fountain  Square,  and  connect  with  a  ring 
of  beautiful  suburbs,  within  and  without  the  city  limits, 
unsurpassed  in  America. 

Among  the  sights  of  interest  is  the  busy  public  landing  or 
levee.  The  Grand  Central  Depot,  a  terminal  of  several  of 
the  largest  roads,  is  centrally  situated  near  the  river.  Among 
the  most  prominent  buildings  are  that  of  the  United  States 
Government  Custom  House,  the  City  Hall,  the  City  Hospital, 
the  Springer  Music  Hall,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Masonic  Tern- 


144  A  NEW  CENTER  OF  PERIL 

pies,  the  Public  Library,  with  431,875  volumes,  and  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History.  St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  St. 
Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal  Cathedral,  St.  Paul's  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  the  First  and  Second  Presbyterian 
Churches,  and  the  Jewish  Synagogue  are  handsome  edifices. 
Fine  hotels  and  theaters  are  numerous.  The  biennial  musical 
festivals  are  famous. 

THE   TUESDAY   CLOUDBURST 

The  troubles  of  Cincinnati  began  on  Tuesday,  March  25th, 
when  the  city  experienced  a  cloudburst  that  started  the  gauge 
rising  in  the  Ohio  River,  temporarily  flooded  the  streets  of 
the  city  and  carried  away  two  bridges  over  the  White  Water 
River,  at  Valley  Junction   a  short  distance  to  the  south. 

PREPARING   FOR   THE   WrORST 

By  Thursday  Cincinnati  was  facing  one  of  the  worst  floods 
in  her  history.  It  had  rained  steadily  for  twenty-four  hours. 
The  flood  had  entered  several  business  houses  in  the  lower 
section  during  the  night  and  early  morning  found  the  entire 
" bottoms"  a  sea  of  moving  vans,  working  up  to  their  capacity. 
At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  gauge  showed  60,  a  rise 
of  more  than  three  feet  since  the  same  hour  that  morning. 

East  and  west  of  the  city  on  the  Ohio  side  of  the  river  the 
lowlands  were  inundated  and  much  damage  done.  In  the 
low  sections  of  the  city  many  houses  were  flooded  and  the 
inhabitants  of  these  sections  fled  to  higher  ground. 

Across  the  river  at  Newport  and  Covington,   Kentucky 


A  NEW  CENTER  OF  PERIL 


145 


suburbs  of  Cincinnati,  similar  conditions  prevailed  and  the 
police  early  warned  dwellers  of  the  danger  that  threatened. 
Dayton  and  Ludlow,  other  Kentucky  suburbs,  were  also  suf- 
ferers from  the  rising  flood  and  many  houses  were  already 
completely  under  water. 
A  seventy-foot  stage  for  Cincinnati  was  predicted.     The 


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TOPOGRAPHY  OF  STRICKEN  SECTION  OF  TWO  STATES 

Practically  every  town  and  city  shown  in  this  illustration  suffered  from  the  floods, 
most  of  them  from  loss  of  life  and  all  of  them  from  property  damage. 

Central  Union  Station  was  abandoned  and  all  trains  leaving 
or  entering  the  city  were  detoured. 

ANXIOUS   WAITING 

Slowly  the  treacherous  waters  rose  while  tired  watchers 
waited  anxiously.  Conditions  were  not  acute  but  distressing. 
The  people  knew  that  they  must  face  conditions  worse  than 
the  present.     All  the  lowland  to  the  west  and  east  of  the  city 


10 


146  A  NEW  CENTER  OF  PERIL 

had  been  submerged  and  also  along  the  water  front  of  the 
business  section  the  commercial  houses  were  gradually  dis- 
appearing under  the  yellow  river.  Hundreds  of  families  along 
the  river  front  in  Cincinnati  had  been  forced  to  move  by  the 
encroaching  river  and  many  merchants  had  removed  their 
goods  from  cellars  and  basements  to  higher  ground. 

Chief  of  Police  Copeland,  however,  had  the  flood  work  well 
in  hand.  The  police  were  put  on  twelve-hour  duty  and 
worked  in  the  flooded  territory  in  rowboats. 

The  city  armory  sheltered  many  persons  and  preparations 
were  made  to  distribute  food  at  the  city  jail.  Nearly  every 
landing  place  along  the  river  front  was  piled  high  with  furni- 
ture, bedding  and  other  household  effects. 

HOMES   SUBMERGED 

Along  the  Kentucky  shore  conditions  rapidly  became 
worse.  At  Covington  more  than  five  hundred  houses  were 
submerged  and  their  occupants  given  shelter  and  protection 
in  public  buildings. 

Plans  were  formulated  to  care  for  flood  sufferers,  and  a 
meeting  was  held  at  Covington  at  which  arrangements  were 
made  to  raise  a  sufficient  fund  for  the  poor.  At  the  same  time 
arrangements  also  were  made  for  policing  the  flood  zone  and 
preventing  looting. 

The  river-front  section  of  Ludlow  was  deep  under  water 
and  the  residents  had  moved.  Bromley  was  entirely  cut  off 
from  other  neighboring  towns.  Dayton,  Kentucky,  and  other 
nearby  small  towns  were  in  the  same  isolated  condition,  and 
there  was  much  suffering  in  consequence. 


A  NEW  CENTER  OF  PERIL  147 

FACTORIES   FORCED   TO    CLOSE 

Many  of  the  large  manufacturing  plants  closed  because 
operatives  were  unable  to  reach  their  places  of  employment. 

Newport,  which,  with  Covington,  is  directly  opposite  Cin- 
cinnati, forming  the  larger  of  the  suburban  sections,  was  in 
almost  as  bad  a  case  as  its  neighboring  city.  The  flood  of 
water  had  risen  in  all  parts  of  the  town. 

One  of  the  bridges  across  the  Ohio  had  been  closed,  and  the 
authorities  were  preparing  to  close  others  to  the  public,  thus 
cutting  off  the  south  shore  from  communication  with  Cin- 
cinnati, and  also  closing  practically  the  only  railway  outlet 
the  latter  city  had  to  the  South  and  East. 

No  food  shortage  was  anticipated,  but  warnings  were 
issued  by  the  mayor  of  this  and  other  nearby  cities  that 
merchants  must  not  take  advantage  of  the  situation  to  charge 
extortionate  prices.  All  attempts  of  this  nature  in  Cincinnati 
were  promptly  curbed  by  the  authorities. 

THE   SITUATION   EVER   GRAVER 

With  nearly  15,000  persons  in  the  towns  on  the  Kentucky 
side  of  the  Ohio  River  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  rising 
flood  that  was  sweeping  down  the  Ohio  Valley  and  with  more 
than  3,500  homes  altogether  or  partly  submerged,  the  flood 
situation  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati  on  Saturday  was  assum- 
ing graver  proportions  hourly. 

The  water  reached  the  second  floor  of  a  number  of  busi- 
ness houses  along  Front  Street  and  was  half  way  up  on  the 
first  floor  of  several  blocks  of  houses  on  Second  Street.     Sev- 


148  A  NEW  CENTER   OF  PERIL 

eral  lines  of  the  Cincinnati  Traction  Company,  operating  in 
the  lower  district  were  abandoned.  Reassuring  word  from 
the  packers,  commission  men  and  general  produce  merchants 
came  early  in  the  day,  when  it  was  estimated  by  experts 
that  Cincinnati  had  enough  food  supplies  to  last  at  least  ten 
days  without  inconveniencing  any  one. 

Railway  service  into  and  out  of  Cincinnati  was  virtually 
at  a  standstill.  The  Louisville  and  Nashville  trains  were 
leaving  the  city  for  the  West  on  time,  but  arriving  trains  were 
much  delayed. 

So  far  only  one  life  had  been  lost  as  a  direct  result  of  the 
high  waters  here.  Miss  Anna  Smith,  the  first  victim,  drowned 
in  an  attempt  to  reach  Newport  in  a  skiff  that  capsized  in 
midstream.  Her  three  men  companions  were  rescued  while 
swimming  to  shore. 

KENTUCKY  SUBURBS  IN  TROUBLE 

Newport  and  Covington  were  virtually  surrounded  by 
water.  Conditions  there  were  worse  than  elsewhere  and  nearly 
ten  thousand  people  were  driven  from  then  homes.  Relief 
measures,  however,  were  adequate.  Manufacturing  plants 
in  the  lowlands  ceased. 

In  these  two  cities  the  only  fear  was  that  health  conditions 
would  be  seriously  affected  because  of  the  clogging  of  the 
sewage  system  and  the  stagnation  of  back  water.  The  water 
works  and  gas  plants  continued  in  operation,  but  the  electric 
light  plants  had  been  forced  to  cease. 

In  the  Kentucky  towns  of  Dayton,  Ludlow,  Bellcvue  and 


A  NEW  CENTER  OF  PERIL  149 

Bromley  identical  conditions  existed,  but  in  their  cases  all 
communication  with  Cincinnati,  Newport  and  Covington 
was  suspended.  These  towns  remained  in  isolation  until  the 
water  had  fallen  sufficiently  to  permit  the  operation  of  street 
cars  on  the  south  side  of  the  river. 

In  these  towns  there  were  2,000  persons  cared  for  by  relief 
committees.  More  than  500  homes  disappeared  under  the 
flood  waters.  Property  damage  assumed  alarming  propor- 
tions, especially  as  this  was  the  second  time  within  three 
months  that  the  Ohio  Valley  had  suffered  from  high  water. 

By  Sunday  the  outlook  for  Cincinnati  was  brighter.  No 
trains  had  gone  out  of  the  city  except  south  to  Kentucky 
b}'  way  of  Covington,  and  rail  and  telegraph  communications 
were  still  badly  demoralized,  but  fair,  warm  weather  which 
had  continued  since  Thursday  had  greatly  helped  the  complex 
situation.  It  was  predicted  that  the  river  would  reach  its 
greatest  height  at  Cincinnati  on  Monday. 

EXPLOSIONS   IN   THE    CITY 

Spreading  over  a  vast  expanse  of  territory  in  Cincinnati, 
as  well  as  an  almost  equal  amount  in  the  various  towns  that 
lie  along  the  river  on  the  Kentucky  shore,  the  Ohio  continued 
to  rise. 

During  Saturday  night  the  central  part  of  the  city  was 
thrown  into  a  semi-panic  by  an  explosion  that  could  be  heard 
for  miles.  The  Union  Carbide  Company,  at  Pearl  and  Elm 
Streets,  had  been  destroyed  in  an  explosion  caused  supposedly 
by  the  carbide  coming  in  contact  with  water. 


150  A   NEW  CENTER  OF  PERIL 

The  river  reached  the  stage  of  69.3  feet  at  noon,  Saturday, 
and  continued  to  rise  at  the  rate  of  two-tenths  of  a  foot 
(very  two  hours. 

Two  companies  of  the  Ninth  United  States  Infantry,  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Thomas,  Kentucky,  were  held  in  readiness  to 
march  at  an  instant's  notice  to  Covington,  where  Mayor 
George  S.  Phillips  feared  the  city  might  be  in  need  of  military 
protection  due  to  high  water  that  virtually  surrounded  the 
town.  When  the  river  stage  reached  more  than  68  feet  on 
Friday  the  gas  plants  were  put  out  of  commission  and  the 
city  was  in  darkness. 

Of  the  few  important  towns  in  Kentucky,  opposite  Cin- 
cinnati, only  one,  Newport,  maintained  direct  communica- 
tion with  Cincinnati.  Through  Newport  communication 
was  obtained  with  Covington  by  a  circuitous  route.  In  New- 
port there  were  already  under  water  nearly  one  hundred  and 
twenty  square  blocks,  located  in  the  section  along  the  south 
bank  of  the  Ohio  River.  The  other  towns,  Bromley,  Dayton 
and  Ludlow,  were  still  without  outside  communication,  but 
reports  from  there  were  that  there  was  no  immediate  need  of 
assistance. 

THE    CRISIS 

The  river  continued  to  mount.  It  rose  two-tenths  of  a 
foot  during  Monday  night  and  early  Tuesday  the  stage  was 
69.8  feet.  The  weather  forecaster,  Devereaux,  said  he  expected 
the  river  to  rise  another  tenth,  after  which  it  probably  would 
recede.  Up-river  points  reported  the  river  either  stationaiy 
or  falling  slowly. 


A  NEW  CENTER  OF  PERIL  151 

At  midnight  Tuesday  the  river  began  to  fall.  The  whole 
city  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief.  The  Government  stated  that 
the  river  would  be  inside  its  banks  within  a  week. 

FLOOD   DAMAGE 

The  direct  and  indirect  damage  caused  in  Cincinnati  by 
the  flooding  of  the  river-front  and  low-lying  residential  sec- 
tions was  very  great.  An  estimate  of  the  indirect  loss  can 
never  be  made,  while  the  direct  loss  is  placed  at  more  than 
$2,000,000. 

Across  the  river  in  the  Kentucky  suburbs  conditions  were 
deplorable.  Estimates  were  that  one  thousand  homes  there 
had  been  inundated  and  that  more  than  four  thousand  per- 
sons were  homeless. 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Flood  in  Western  Ohio 

distress  in  bellefontaine — piqua  deluged — troy  a  heavy 
sufferer — miami  on  the  rampage  at  middletown — ■ 
hamilton  hard  hit — big  reservoirs  threatening — 
olentangy  river  a  lake  at  delaware — flood  at  spring- 
field— new  richmond  under  water. 

THE  rushing  torrent  of  water  that  swept  down  the 
Miami  River,   surging  over  Dayton,   devastated  a 
score  or  more  of  towns  in  its  mad  course  from  the 
creeks  around  Bellefontaine  to  the  point  southwest  of  Cin- 
cinnati where  the  waters  of  the  Miami  merge  with  those  of 
the  Ohio. 

DISTRESS   IN   BELLEFONTAINE 

Cries  of  distress  arose  from  Bellefontaine  on  Wednesday, 
March  26th.  At  that  time  millions  of  gallons  of  water  were 
pounding  against  the  banks  of  the  Lewiston  reservoir, 
fifteen  miles  from  Bellefontaine,  and  it  was  feared  that  if  the 
increasing  flood  should  burst  the  banks  the  lives  of  every 
inhabitant  of  the  Lower  Miami  Valley  would  be  imperiled. 

The  immense  reservoir  at  Lewiston  did  burst  its  banks 
between  Lake  View  and  Russell's  Point  and  swept  through  the 

(152) 


© 

g 

s 


© 
o 

S 


°      i 


THE  FLOOD  IN  WESTERN  OHIO  153 

great  Miami  Valley  like  a  tidal  wave.  It  was  this  vast  quan- 
tity of  water,  added  to  the  already  overflowing  river,  that 
inundated  the  cities  of  Sidney  and  Piqua. 

At  Sidney  there  was  no  loss  of  life,  but  the  town  was  badly 
flooded  and  early  reports  of  loss  of  life  ran  high. 

PIQUA   DELUGED 

The  flooded  Miami  swept  over  Piqua  in  a  great  deluge. 
The  water  reached  the  first  floor  of  the  Plaza  Hotel,  which  is 
situated  in  the  higli  part  of  the  city.  Panic-stricken  the 
people  fled  from  their  homes  or  sought  refuge  in  the  upper 
stories  of  high  buildings.  Fire  broke  out  in  many  places.  At 
one  point  in  the  city  the  water  was  twelve  feet  deep.  Many 
persons  were  drowned.     Many  lost  all  their  possessions. 

Relief  measures  were  taken  by  city  authorities.  The 
property  loss  was  great,  as  most  of  the  manufacturing  plants 
were  destroyed  by  the  flood.  A  company  of  militia  from 
Covington  maintained  order  and  cared  for  those  made  desti- 
tute by  the  flood. 

TROY   A   HEAVY   SUFFERER 

The  town  of  Troy  was  also  a  heavy  sufferer.  The  state 
Troops  who  arrived  in  the  town  on  March  27th  with  pro- 
visions for  Dayton  were  stranded. 

One-third  of  the  town  was  cut  off  from  gas,  electricity  and 
water  supply.  A  train  load  of  provisions  arrived.  The  pro- 
visions~were  carefully  distributed. 

One-half  of  the  state  troops  left  on  foot  for  Dayton,  follow- 
ing the  tracks  of  the  railroad. 


FLOOt>   EDITION 


THE  PIQUA  DAILY  CALL 


Vol.  29 


PIQUA,  OHIO,  WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  .26,  1913. 


No.134 


Calamity  Strikes  Piqua; 
Our  City  Bowed  in  Grief 

Appalling  Loss  of  Human  Life,  and 
Great  Destruction  of  Property. 

Thousands  Are  Homeless 

City  Under  Martial  Law- —Communications  Cut 

Ofl  with  Outside  World— Relief  Station 

Established  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 


Piqua  is  today  a  stricken  city;  a  city  bow- 
ed down,  broken  with  grief.  We  have  been 
visited  by  the  greatest  calamity  in  our  history. 
The  loss  of  life  that  has  been  suffered  from  the 
flood  cannot  be  estimated  now.  f 

It  is  sufficient  now  to  tell  that  ■  relief 
measures  are  being  taken.  The  Business 
Men's  Associatiou,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  citi 
zens  generally  are  co-opeerating  with  the  city 
and  military  authorities  to  bring  order  out  of 
chaos  to  rescue  those  confined  in  houses  still 
standing  in  the  flooded  sections  to  house  and 
feed  the  homeless. 

The  city  is  practically  uhder  martial  law. 
Company  C.  and  Company  A,  of  Covington 
are  here  and  patrolling  tie  city  under  the 
the  direction  of  the  city  authorities. 

Last  night,  we  regret  to  say,  there  was 
a  beginning  of  looting  and  plundering  in  the 
south  part  of  the  city. 

Rigorous  measures  will  be  taken  by  the 
military  and  the  police  to  repress  and  prevent 
such  in  the  future. 

Piqua  still  is  cut  off  from  communication 
from  the  outside  world.  All  the  telegraph 
and  telephone  wires  are  down.  Bridges  and 
tracks  are  down  on  both  railroads  and  "no  trains 
are  running. 

The  only  outside  communication  "possible 
has  been  by  using  a  Pennsylvania  freight  en- 
gine to  Bradfbad  from  which  point  it  has  been 
possible  to  use  the  telegraph. 


All  the'tractiou  lines  still  are  crippled  and 
unable  to  run  their  cars  in  or  out  of  the  city. 
How  soon  it  may  be  possible  to  re-open  these 
lines  of  commuuication  it  is  impjssible  to  say. 

While  greatly  crippled  the  local  telephone 
service  has  been  maintained  by  both  exchang- 
es. The  operators  have  done  heroic  work  day 
and  night  ever  since  the  first  clanger  began  to 
threaten. 

No  mail  has  been  received  or  sent  out  of 
Piquai since  Monday.  Local  deliveries,  of 
course,  are  impossible. 

North  aud  south  the  C.  H.  &  D.  R.  R. 

is  crippled.       From    Sidney  to  Dayton  the 
washout  is  practically  complete. 

The  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  bridge  was  wash- 
ed out  at  the  east  end,  and  there  is  no  com- 
munication across  the  river.  It  is  understood 
that  much  track  hashftu  washed  out,....  A  line 
is  opeu  to  Bradford  and  westward. 

The  Y.'  M.C.  A.,  the  Spring  street, 
Favorite  Hill  Schools,  the  Presbyterian, 
Christian,  Church  of  Christ,  Grace  M.  E., 
St.  Marys  school  hall,  and  countless  homes 
have  been  opened  freely  to  the  flood  sufferers. 
The  Y.  M.  C  A.  has  been  the  center  of  the 
relief  administration  and  from  which  all  direc- 
tions have  been  issued  and  to  which  the -suffer- 
ers have  come. 

Provisions  can  and  are  being  brought 
from  Fletcher  and  other  places  east  to  the  suf- 
ferers who  have  reached  the  hills  on  the  east 
of  the  river, 

This  morning  Mayor  Kiser  placed  the  fire 
department  at  work  freeing  the  most  necessary 
places  from  water.  The  electric  light  plant 
was  first  pumped  out.  Last  night  the  city 
was  in  darkness  except  for  gas,  oil  lamps,  and 
candles.  The  hospital  was  found  needing  lit- 
tle attention. 

The  damage  to  property  is  beyond  calcu- 
lation. Over  200  houses  at  least  have  been 
washed  away  and  destroyed.  Shawnee  is  prac- 
tically wiped  out. 


The  above  is  a  facsimile  reproduction  of  the  first  page  of  The  Piqua  Daily  Call, 
issued  the  day  after  the  city  was  inundated  by  the  flood.  Ordinarily  the  Call  is  an 
eight-page  newspaper,  17  z  20  inches  in  size.  This  issue  consisted  of  four  pages 
1)4  x  10  inches. 


THE  FLOOD  IN  WESTERN  OHIO  155 

MIAMISBURG    CUT   OFF 

Miamisburg,  a  town  of  eight  thousand,  was  cut  off  for  days. 
When  news  finally  reached  neighboring  towns  the  death  list 
was  estimated  at  twenty-five.  Later  estimates  placed  it  at 
less.  Only  one  body  has  been  recovered,  but  the  property 
damage  ran  high. 

MIAMI   ON   THE   RAMPAGE   AT   MIDDLETOWN 

As  the  result  of  the  worst  cloudburst  known  in  twenty 
years  the  great  bridge  over  the  Miami  River,  at  Middle  town, 
was  carried  out  on  March  25th.  Fifteen  persons  were  after- 
ward missing  and  scores  of  houses  could  be  seen  floating  down 
the  stream.  The  water  and  electric  light  plants  were  out  of 
commission. 

Two  hundred  houses  were  under  water,  their  former  occu- 
pants finding  shelter  in  the  school  houses,  churches  and  city 
buildings.  The  great  Miami  River,  was  a  mile  wide  at  this 
point. 

The  city  was  practically  cut  off  from  the  outside  world. 
Tracks  of  both  the  Big  Four  and  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  and 
Dayton  Railroads  were  under  water  and  no  trains  were  run- 
ning. The  tracks  of  the  Ohio  Electric  Railway  were  washed 
out  in  many  places.  A  portion  of  the  state  dam  in  the  Miami 
River,  north  of  Middletown,  was  washed  away. 

Water  from  the  river  started  the  Maimi  and  Erie  Canal  on 
a  rampage  and  submerged  half  of  Lakeside,  a  suburb.  The 
families  of  Harold  Gillespie  and  Mrs.  Mary  Fisher  were  forced 
to  flee  from  their  homes  in  their  night  clothes. 


156  THE   FLOOD  IN  WESTERN   OHIO 

The  casualty  list  could  not  be  estimated  with  accuracy. 
It  was  believed  that  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  had  been 
claimed  by  the  waters. 

About  three  o'clock  the  following  morning  the  river  began 
to  fall  slowly,  but  the  situation  was  still  dangerous.  Supplies 
were  rapidly  running  out,  and  a  food  famine  was  looked  for. 
Misery  was  averted  by  the  arrival  of  food  late  Thursday  night, 
but  building  of  fires  was  not  permitted.  The  authorities 
feared  an  outbreak  of  flames  similar  to  the  Dayton  conflagra- 
tion. Ten  thousand  of  the  eighteen  thousand  population  were 
homeless. 

HAMILTON   HARD   HIT 

Of  all  the  cities  in  the  Miami  Valley  with  the  exception  of 
Dayton,  Hamilton  was  hardest  hit.  Many  persons  killed, 
a  thousand  houses  wrecked  by  the  rushing  torrent  and  15,000 
homeless  was  the  toll  of  the  flood  in  this  city  and  environs, 
and  the  harrowing  scenes  attending  flood  disasters  in  the  past 
decade  faded  into  insignificance  when  compared  with  the 
havoc  wrought  by  the  latest  deluge. 

Before  darkness  blotted  out  the  scene  on  March  25th,  house 
after  house,  with  the  occupants  clinging  to  the  roofs  and 
screaming  for  help,  floated  on  the  breast  of  the  flood,  but  the 
cries  for  help  had  to  go  unanswered  because  of  the  lack  of 
boats.  What  little  rescue  work  there  was  accomplished  was 
done  before  night  came  on,  as  the  rescuers  were  powerless 
after  darkness. 

The  city  was  then  without  light  of  any  kind,  the  electric 


THE  FLOOD  IN  WESTERN  OHIO  157 

light  and  gas  plants  being  ten  feet  under  water.  Soldiers 
rushed  to  this  city  from  Columbus  were  in  charge  of  the 
situation,  the  town  being  under  martial  law. 

The  victims  of  the  raging  waters  were  caught  like  rats  in 
a  trap,  so  fast  did  the  flood  pour  in  on  them,  and  few  had  even 
a  fighting  chance  for  their  lives.  Ghastly  in  the  extreme  was 
the  situation.  The  cries  of  the  women  and  children  as  they 
faced  inevitable  death,  and  the  frantic  but  unsuccessful  efforts 
of  husbands  and  fathers  to  rescue  loved  ones,  presented  a  scene 
that  will  go  down  in  the  history  of  world's  catastrophes  as  one 
of  the  worst  on  record. 

Fire  added  to  the  horror  of  the  situation  when  shortly 
after  midnight  the  plant  of  the  Champion  Coated  Paper 
Company,  which  is  six  blocks  long  by  one  block  wide,  broke 
into  flames.  In  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  entire 
factory  was  a  mass  of  fire  and  there  was  no  chance  of  checking 
its  progress  in  the  least  as  the  water  service  needed  by  the 
fire  department  was  put  out  of  commission  early  in  the  day. 

The  Beckett  Company's  paper  mill,  valued  at  $500,000  for 
buildings  and  equipment,  collapsed  into  the  flood  the  follow- 
ing morning. 

SUFFERING  AMONG  THE  REFUGEES 

On  Wednesday,  March  26th,  the  river  began  to  fall  at  the 
rate  of  nine  inches  an  hour.  After  the  season  of  awful  horror 
the  change  brought  hope.  The  work  of  rescue  and  relief, 
however,  was  exceedingly  difficult. 

There  were  only  a  few  boats  that  could  be    used  in    the 


158  THE  FLOOD  IN  WESTERN  OHIO 

work  of  rescue  and  relief.  Ohio  National  Guardsmen  who 
arrived  from  Cincinnati  Tuesday  night  did  heroic  work.  They 
came  in  four  motor  trucks  and  brought  food  and  clothing  with 
them.  One  of  the  trucks  returned  to  Cincinnati  for  more  boats. 

A  relief  train  arrived  from  Indianapolis  Wednesday  morning 
and  other  cars  and  automobile  trucks,  loaded  with  supplies, 
managed  to  reach  the  outskirts  of  the  city. 

The  Lakeview  Hotel,  which  had  previously  housed  fifty 
refugees,  collapsed  early  Wednesday,  but  all  the  occupants 
left  in  time  to  escape  death. 

Williamsdale,  Cooke,  Otto  and  Overpeck,  the  north  sub- 
urbs of  Hamilton,  were  in  ruins.  On  the  west  side  of  the  river 
many  residences  were  saved,  but  there  was  despair  among  the 
survivors,  who  were  unable  to  get  word  from  husbands  and 
fathers  who  were  caught  on  the  east  side  and  unable  to  cross 
after  bridges  were  destroyed.  Efforts  to  get  lines  across  the 
river  were  futile. 

Provisions  for  the  homeless  continued  arriving  in  abun- 
dance, but  the  gas,  electric  light  and  water  plants  were  in 
ruins  and  this  added  to  the  terrors  of  the  living. 

More  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons  spent  two  daj-s 
and  nights  in  the  little  court  house  without  light,  food,  water 
or  heat,  and  often  they  were  drenched  with  rain  that  leaked 
through  holes  in  the  roof. 

REMOVING   THE    DEAD 

As  the  flood  waters  receded  on  March  27th,  the  authorities 
immediately  began  the  work  of  removing  the  dead.     The 


THE  FLOOD  IN  WESTERN  OHIO 


159 


swu>r'£Ll> 


COLUMBUS 


THE  FLOOD  IN  MIAMI  VALLEY 


The  above  map  shows  a  part  of  Ohi«  which  was  devastated  by  the  most  disastrous 
flood  in  American  history.  A  targe  number  of  small  streams  converge  tut©  larger 
streams  and  then  into  still  larger  water  courses,  several  of  which  form  a  junction  at 
Dayton,  where  the  greatest  loss  of  life  and  the  heaviest  damage  to  property  occurred. 


160  THE  FLOOD  IN  WESTERN   OHIO 

first  hour  of  the  search  saw  ten  bodies  uncovered  from  the 
ruins,  and  the  most  conservative  estimates  placed  the  death 
roll  at  fifty. 

Piled  high  upon  the  east  side  of  the  court  house  on  Friday 
were  coffins  awaiting  the  flood  victims,  whose  bodies  were 
being  gathered  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

On  April  3d,  the  city  offered  a  reward  of  ten  dollars  for 
each  body  recovered  from  the  debris  left  by  the  flood.  Up  to 
that  time  seventy-one  bodies  had  been  recovered.  It  was 
believed,  however,  that  many  bodies  had  been  swept  out  of 
the  Miami  into  the  Ohio  River  and  perhaps  would  never  be 
found. 

DAMAGE  OF  $4,000,000 

Secretary  Garrison,  of  the  War  Department,  who  toured 
the  flood  district  of  Hamilton  on  March  30th,  as  the  personal 
representative  of  President  Wilson,  was  told  that  the  prop- 
erty loss  was  estimated  at  $4,000,000. 

With  Secretary  Garrison  were  Major-General  Wood,  chief 
of  staff  of  the  army,  and  Major  McCoy.  They  permeated 
the  very  heart  of  the  city  through  zones  of  devastation  which 
in  many  respects  rivaled  in  horror  those  through  which  they 
passed  in  Dayton.  They  saw  block  after  block  in  both  the 
residential  and  business  sections  of  the  city,  where  street 
lines  virtually  were  eliminated  by  upheaved  and  overturned 
houses  jammed  against  each  other  and  against  the  buildings 
which  withstood  the  shock,  in  great  and  almost  unbroken 
heaps  of  debris. 

South  Lebanon  was  cut  off  from  Lebanon  by  a  raging 


THE  FLOOD  IN  WESTERN  OHIO  161 

current  that  swept  all  the  surrounding  farm  lands,  entailing 
a  property  loss  of  thousands  of  dollars.  All  rivers  and  creeks 
south  of  Dayton  to  Lebanon  were  swollen  by  a  heavy  rainfall. 

The  flooding  of  the  Miami  at  Cleves,  seven  miles  below 
Cincinnati,  caused  the  railroad  embankment  to  break 
and  that  part  of  the  town  was  under  fifteen  feet  of  water. 
The  operator  at  Cleves  said  he  distinctly  heard  cries  for  help, 
but  he  could  not  learn  if  there  was  any  loss  of  life  or  the  extent 
of  the  property  damage. 

The  following  day  the  waters  had  receded,  but  part  of  the 
city  was  still  under  water;  no  loss  of  life  was  reported.  Hart- 
well  and  the  vicinity  felt  the  force  of  the  rising  Mill  Creek 
caused  by  the  breaking  of  the  canal  at  Lockland.  The  large 
factories  at  Ivorydale  were  forced  to  close  down,  and  many 
thousands  of  employees  were  thrown  out  of  work. 

BIG   RESERVOIRS   THREATENING 

The  Grand  Reservoir  at  Celina,  Ohio,  in  the  extreme  western 
part  of  the  state,  seriously  threatened  Celina  and  the  adjacent 
towns.  For  two  days  the  very  worst  was  feared,  but  on 
March  28th,  the  river  was  slightly  lower  and  no  water  was 
flowing  over  the  banks. 

OLENTANGY   RIVER   A   LAKE   AT   DELAWARE 

The  Olentangy  River,  ordinarily  only  a  creek,  became  a 
lake  that  covered  most  of  Delaware.     In  many  places  people 
were  left  clinging  to  trees,  roof-tops  and  telegraph  poles  cry- 
ing for  assistance.     The  work  of  rescue  was  practically  impos- 
11 


- 


162  THE  FLOOD  IN  WESTERN  OHIO 

sible  because  of  the  swift  current  of  the  flood,  and  most  of 
those  who  were  seen  trying  to  save  themselves  were  swept 
away  to  death. 

The  village  of  Stratford,  five  miles  to  the  south,  was 
entirely  under  water  and  the  loss  great.  Property  damage 
in  Delaware  itself  was  estimated  at  $2,000,000. 

FLOOD   AT   SPKINGFIELD 

Springfield  suffered  the  worst  flood  in  its  history.  Both 
Buck  Creek  and  Mad  River  broke  from  their  banks  and 
flooded  the  lowlands.  Several  hundred  houses  in  the  eastern 
section  of  the  city  were  surrounded  by  water.  They  con- 
tained families  who  refused  to  abandon  their  homes.  Many 
factories  were  compelled  to  close. 

There  was  no  loss  of  life,  but  intense  suffering  due  to 
insufficient  food  supply  and  the  destruction  of  many  homes. 

NEW   RICHMOND   UNDER   WATER 

The  flooding  of  the  Ohio  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
state  caused  disaster  in  many  other  towns  besides  Cincinnati. 
On  April  1st  the  entire  town  of  New  Richmond  was  under 
water.  The  people  took  up  quarters  on  the  hills  surrounding 
the  town.  Provisions  were  received  from  Batavia  and  there 
was  no  suffering.     No  one  was  reported  dead  or  missing. 

At  Moscow,  near  New  Richmond,  fifty  houses  were  washed 
from  their  foundations. 


CHAPTER  XI 

The    Flood  in  Northern  Ohio 

youngstown  and  girard — cleveland  and  its  suburbs — 
akron — massilon,  fremont  and  tiffin. 

NO  section  of  the  country  suffered  more  extensively 
from  the  flood  than  Ohio,  of  which  state  no  part 
seemed  to  escape.  In  the  northern  counties  the  loss 
of  life  and  damage  to  property  were  quite  as  extensive  as  in 
many  other  parts. 

Fed  by  incessant  rains,  the  Mahoning  River  rose  at  the  rate 
of  seven-eighths  of  an  inch  per  hour  until  it  reached  a  stage 
of  twenty-five  feet,  which  was  ten  feet  higher  than  ever  before 
recorded.  Every  large  industrial  plant  in  the  city  was  flooded 
and  fully  25,000  workmen  were  out  of  employment. 

The  financial  loss  to  the  Youngstown  Sheet  and  Tube 
Company,  Republic  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  Carnegie  Steel 
Company  and  other  plants  easily  reached  $2,500,000,  while 
the  loss  in  wages  to  men  was  extremely  heavy  because  of  the 
fact  that  weeks  elapsed  before  the  industries  were  again  able 
to  operate  at  full  capacity.  Fully  14,000  workmen  employed 
in  various  industries  of  the  city  are  thrown  out  of  employment 
as  a  result  of  the  high  water. 

(163) 


164  THE   FLOOD   IN   NORTHERN   OHIO 

At  East  Youngstown  the  Mahoning  River  was  nearly  half 
a  mile  wide  and  the  Pennsylvania  lines  through  the  city  and 
for  a  number  of  miles  east  were  entirely  submerged.  The 
Austintown  branch  bridge  of  the  Erie,  which  crosses  the 
Mahoning  River,  was  weighted  down  with  a  train  to  prevent 
its  being  washed  away,  the  water  having  already  reached 
the  girders.     Every  bridge  was  guarded  by  policemen. 

But  one  pump  was  working  at  the  water-works  pumping 
station.  The  flood  was  the  worst  experienced  by  Youngstown 
since  October,  1911,  when  millions  of  dollars  of  damage  was 
done. 

Two  hundred  families  were  temporarily  homeless,  but  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  with  a  relief  fund  of  $10,000,  attended 
promptly  to  their  welfare. 

Youngstown's  only  water  supply  during  the  flood  was  from 
the  Republic  Rubber  Company,  pumping  3,000,000  gallons 
a  day,  and  the  Mahoning  Valley  Water  Company,  which 
turned  4,000,000  gallons  a  day  into  the  city  mains  from  its 
reservoir  at  Struthers. 

At  Girard,  northeast  of  Youngstown,  Mrs.  Frank  Captis, 
who  was  rescued  just  before  her  home  was  swept  away  in  the 
flood,  gave  birth  to  a  baby  boy  at  the  home  of  a  friend,  where 
she  was  taken.     The  baby  was  named  Noah. 

CLEVELAND   AND    ITS    SUBURBS 

At  Cleveland  scores  of  families  were  driven  out  of  their 
homes  by  the  greatest  flood  in  the  city's  history.  Many 
narrow  escapes  from  drowning  were  reported  from  all  over 


THE  FLOOD  IN  NORTHERN  OHIO  165 

the  city,  where  people  were  being  transferred  in  rowboats 
by  police  and  other  rescuers. 

One  big  bridge,  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  used  by  the  New 
York  Central  lines,  went  down.  The  steel  steamer,  "Mack," 
moored  to  it  was  unharmed.  All  traffic  was  kept  off  the 
bridge  and  no  one  was  hurt.  The  loss  exceeds  $75,000. 
Other  bridges  were  in  danger.  Boats  broke  from  their  moor- 
ings and  battered  the  shore.  Dynamite  was  used  to  open  a 
way  for  the  water  into  the  lake.  Great  damage  was  done  all 
along  the  Cuyahoga  River  through  Cleveland,  where  hundreds 
of  big  manufacturing  plants  are  located.  Fifty  thousand 
men  were  idle.  The  telegraph  companies  were  crippled  and 
many  lights  were  out  throughout  the  city,  as  the  electric-light 
plants  were  partly  under  water.  All  the  suburbs  suffered 
severely. 

All  railroad  traffic  in  Cleveland  was  suspended  because  of 
washouts  and  no  trains  entered  or  left.  The  Lake  Shore 
Railroad  tracks  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie  were  thought 
immune,  but  that  road  suffered  along  with  the  Big  Four, 
Pennsylvania  and  Wheeling  and  Lake  Erie. 

Boston,  Ohio,  and  Peninsula,  Ohio,  between  twenty-five 
and  twenty-eight  miles  south  of  Cleveland,  on  the  Cuyahoga 
River,  were  submerged. 

The  dam  of  the  Cleveland  and  Akron  Bag  Company  went 
out  at  four  o'clock  Thursday  morning,  March  27th,  dropping 
thousands  of  tons  of  water  into  the  valley  in  which  the  two 
villages,  with  a  total  population  of  about  four  thousand  five 
hundred,  are  located. 


166 


THE  FLOOD  IN  NORTHERN   OHIO 


Taj. 


f  p  <^\^1  •  ■  i> 

—    ••'■■•■  ■  ■'     rXT  ^ 


f<*o, 


MAP  SHOWING  DANGEROUS  RESERVOIRS  IN  OHIO 
AKRON 

The  big  state  reservoir  three  miles  south  of  Akron,  which 
supplies  water  for  the  Ohio  Canal,  broke  Tuesday  afternoon 
at  two  o'clock,  sending  a  flood  of  millions  of  gallons  of  water 


THE  FLOOD  IN  NORTHERN  OHIO  167 

which  swept  away  farmhouses  and  other  buildings  from  the 
banks  of  the  canal  and  damaged  several  milhon  dollars'  worth 
of  property. 

The  huge  volume  of  water  which  had  been  gathering  in 
the  three  hundred-acre  reservoir  caused  a  report  that  there 
was  danger  of  the  concrete  walls  bursting.  Most  of  those 
living  near  the  canal  sought  refuge  in  Akron. 

When  the  heavy  rain  continued  over  night  the  dam  began 
to  show  signs  of  wear.  Cracks  in  the  concrete  appeared. 
All  during  the  night  horses  were  kept  saddled  to  carry  the  news 
ahead  if  the  danger  became  imminent.  When  the  masonry 
showed  flaws  Thursday  morning  the  riders  were  sent  out. 
They  started  several  hours  before  the  dam  collapsed,  and 
warned  everybody  near  the  canal  in  time  for  them  to  escape. 
The  rush  of  water  from  the  broken  dam  struck  the  citv  within 
a  few  minutes  after  the  break. 

Most  of  the  bridges  in  the  county  were  swept  away.  The 
city  was  in  total  darkness  at  night,  and  telephone  and  tele- 
graph connections  were  destroyed.  A  few  bodies  were  seen 
floating  down  the  canal.     Many  houses  were  swept  away. 

MASSILON,    FREMONT   AND   TIFFIN 

At  Massilon  five  known  dead,  three  thousand  homeless, 
half  the  town  inundated  and  heavy  property  damage  was  the 
toll  of  flood  water  from  the  Tuscarawas  River.  The  town 
was  without  light  and  gas.  Citizens  raised  $11,000  to  aid  the 
sufferers. 

The  effect  of  the  flood  at  Fremont  was  very  severe.     The 


168  THE  FLOOD  IN  NORTHERN   OHIO 

water  in  Main  Street  was  fifteen  feet  deep.     Wires  were  down 
and  buildings  collapsed.     Several  lives  were  lost. 

Death  and  intense  suffering  marked  the  great  flood  which 
swept  clean  the  Sandusky  valley.  Tiffin  became  a  city  of 
desolation.  Every  bridge  went  down,  and  half  the  city 
was  under  water.  Many  were  carried  to  death  in  the 
treacherous  currents. 


CHAPTER  XII 

The  Flood  in  Eastern  Ohio^ 

mount    vernon    hard    hit — millersburg    cut    off — the 
tuscarawas     river — coshocton     in     distress — entire 

city  of  zanesville  under  water marietta  flooded 

scioto  river  at  circleville — struggles  of  chillicothe 
— flood  and  fire  in  portsmouth — homeless  in  east 
liverpool  and  wellsville — flood  washes  steubens- 
ville — highest  flood  in  history  of  gallipolis — ironton 
requests  aid — a  critical  situation. 

IN  the   eastern   part   of   the  state  there  were  two  great 
floods,  the  flood  of  the  Muskingum  River  and  the  flood 
of  the  Ohio  River.      Besides  these  there  were  many 
local  floods  of  grave  importance. 

Mount  Vernon,  in  Knox  County,  was  hard  hit  by  the  flood. 
Many  lives  were  lost,  communication  was  entirely  cut  off, 
and  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  damage  was  done.  Miles 
of  track  on  the  Pennsylvania,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroads 
were  washed  away. 

MILLERSBURG   COMPLETELY    CUT  OFF 

For  two  days  Millersburg  was  completely  cut  off.  The  river 
rose  four  feet  higher  than  ever  before.     It  swept  through  the 

(169) 


170  THE  FLOOD  IN  EASTERN   OHIO 

Cleveland,  Akron  and  Columbus  Railroad  depot  two  feet 
deep,  driving  everybody  out.  Water,  gas  and  electric  light 
were  shut  off  with  the  exception  of  one  gas  line. 

Telephone  service  was  limited,  hence  nothing  could  be  sent 
or  received  for  two  days — until  intermittent  communication 
was  re-established. 

THE   TUSCARAWAS  RIVEIi, 

The  flood  in  the  Tuscarawas  River  was  the  worst  in  its 
history.  All  the  lowlands  were  under  water,  and  a  highway 
bridge  west  of  Dennison  was  carried  out  by  the  tide.  Two 
bridges  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio,  near  Uhrichsville,  were 
washed  away,  and  the  village  of  Lockport  was  cut  off  from 
all  communication.  Supplies  in  Lockport  were  exhausted 
and  two  men  were  reported  drowned. 

Eighteen  families  were  marooned  in  the  school  house  at 
Port  Washington,  ten  miles  west  of  Dennison,  on  the  Tus- 
carawas River.  Operator  A.  W.  Davis,  of  the  Pan  Handle 
Railroad,  was  isolated  in  a  signal  tower  for  several  days 
without  food  or  fire. 

Newcomerstown  was  isolated  for  four  days.  All  houses 
in  the  village,  with  the  exception  of  those  on  Rodney  Hill, 
were  flooded  by  the  Tuscarawas  River.  There  was  no  death, 
but  great  damage. 

Conditions  throughout  the  Tuscarawas  Valley  were  very 
bad.  From  a  point  near  Uhrichsville,,  about  one  hundred 
miles  west  of  Pittsburgh,  to  Coshocton,  a  distance  of  thirty 
miles,  the  valley  was  one  great  lake.     Thousands  of  acres  of 


THE  FLOOD  IN  EASTERN   OHIO  171 

the  richest  farm  lands  in  Ohio  were  under  water  and  the  loss 
of  live  stock  was  heavy. 

COSHOCTON   IN   DISTRESS 

The  Tuscarawas  and  Walhonding  Rivers  unite  at  Co- 
shocton to  form  the  Muskingum  River,  and  it  is  the  water 
from  these  swollen  streams  that  poured  down  to  Zanesville, 
th  rty-two  miles  below,  and  thence  to  Marietta. 

Reports  from  points  along  the  Muskingum  River,  all  told 
the  same  story  of  destruction,  flooded  towns  and  great  prop- 
erty damage.  Many  days  were  required  to  restore  railway 
communication. 

Above  Coshocton  on  the  Walhonding  River  many  villages 
were  flooded  and  the  loss  to  farmers  was  great. 

Coshocton  itself  naturally  suffered.  A  railroad  bridge  on 
the  Columbus  division  of  the  Pan  Handle  Railroad  went  out, 
and  scores  of  highway  bridges  throughout  the  section  were 
washed  away.     All  the  streams  were  torrents. 

ENTIRE    CITY   OF  ZANESVILLE  UNDER   WATER 

"  Entire  city  under  water.  It  is  coming  into  our  office. 
Have  placed  the  records  as  high  as  I  possibly  can  and  have 
done  everything  possible.  The  building  next  door  has  just 
collapsed  and  I  am  compelled  to  leave  now  for  safety " 

This  message  flashed  across  the  wire  as  the  operator  at 
Zanesville  fled  for  life.  With  fifteen  reported  dead,  and  the 
Muskingum  River  at  a  stage  of  forty  feet  and  still  rising, 
the  city  faced  the  worst  flood  in  its  history.     The  big  Sixth 


172  THE  FLOOD  IN  EASTERN  OHIO 

Street  bridge  had  already  been  swept  away  by  the  flood, 
and  much  of  the  business  section  was  inundated. 

At  least  two  thousand  had  been  driven  from  their  homes 
by  the  high  water.  Food  was  growing  scarce  and  the  water 
was  threatening  the  light  and  water  plants. 

The  suffering  during  the  night  was  intense.  The  tem- 
perature took  a  sudden  drop  and  the  thousands  who  were 
forced  to  spend  the  night  marooned  in  buildings  or  on  the 
hills  without  heat  and  proper  clothing  presented  a  spectacle 
to  excite  pity. 

With  the  break  of  day  on  March  27th,  disorder  and  terror 
prevailed  throughout  the  whole  city.  The  Muskingum,  in  its 
rampage,  was  sixteen  feet  higher  than  the  previous  record 
mark  set  in  1898.  The  city  was  one  vast  lake  and  the  waters 
covered  the  valley  from  hill  to  hill.  Only  the  buildings  high 
on  the  sides  of  the  slopes  escaped  the  ravages  of  the  deluge. 
The  water  varied  in  depth  from  one  to  fifteen  feet.  Many 
lives  were  sacrificed. 

Six  hundred  buildings  were  torn  from  their  foundations 
and  swept  away  by  the  mill  race  currents,  while  many  others 
collapsed  and  were  hurled  against  those  still  holding. 

The  water  reached  a  depth  of  eight  inches  in  the  Clarendon 
and  Rogge  hotels  at  noon  on  Thursday.  The  court  house 
was  surrounded. 

In  sections  which  were  bearing  the  brunt  of  the  deluge 
little  could  be  done  to  relieve  the  people  who  were  marooned 
in  their  houses  and  in  the  large  buildings.  Every  effort  was 
being  directed  by  the  city  offici  lis  and  volunteer  relief  parties 


THE  FLOOD   IN  EASTERN   OHIO  173 

to  lend  aid  to  the  sufferers,  but  the  swift,  onward  rush  of  the 
waters  made  the  undertaking  extra  hazardous. 

The  authorities  turned  their  efforts  toward  relieving  the 
suffering  of  women  and  children  driven  from  their  homes  by 
the  high  water,  and  some  progress  had  been  made.  Putnam 
lay  in  ruins.  Muskingum  and  Linden  Avenues  had  been 
washed  out,  and  where  three  days  before  stood  many  resi- 
dences, watchers  from  the  highest  buildings  saw  nothing  but  a 
waste  of  swirling  waters. 

MARIETTA   FLOODED 

The  valley  between  Zanesville  and  Marietta  became  a  surg- 
ing lake,  which  picked  up  buildings  and  everything  movable 
and  carried  them  along  with  incredible  speed.  The  loss  of 
property  was  tremendous. 

Marietta  suffered  from  the  swollen  waters  of  both  the 
Muskingum  and  Ohio  Rivers.  The  situation  was  serious  on 
Wednesday;  by  Sunday  it  was  alarming.  At  eight  o'clock 
Saturday  morning  the  river  had  reached  the  stage  of  60.6  and 
was  still  rising.  All  the  business  section  of  the  town  was 
flooded  and  many  residences  we  e  under  water.  There  were 
no  public  utilities  in  operation  and  food  and  medical  supplies 
were  sorely  needed.  There  were  many  rumors  concerning 
loss  of  life,  but  the  swift  current  prevented  communication  to 
those  parts  of  the  city  where  persons  were  reported  drowned. 

Immediately  upon  reciept  of  the  message  from  Whipple, 
a  station  on  the  Marietta  Branch  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road, that  Marietta  was  under  water,  preparations  were  made 


174  THE   FLOOD   IN   EASTERN   OHIO 

by  the  railroad  company  to  send  out  a  relief  train  from  Cam- 
bridge. It  reached  Whipple  Saturday  night  and  from  there 
help  was  brought  to  the  distressed  city. 

SCIOTO   RIVER   AT   CIRCLEVILLE 

The  flooded  Scioto  River,  which  surged  through  the  streets 
of  Columbus,  carried  destruction  down  through  farm  lands 
and  towns  to  the  Ohio  River.  Circleville,  Chillicothe  and 
Portsmouth,  being  the  principal  towns  on  the  river  course, 
suffered  most. 

At  Circleville  on  March  26th  all  the  bridges  had  been 
washed  away,  and  the  Scioto  River  stood  three  feet  higher 
than  ever  before.  Another  rise  was  promised.  The  city  was 
cut  off  from  railroad  communication,  and  all  trains  on  roads 
entering  Circleville  were  annulled. 

STRUGGLES   OF    CHILLICOTHE 

Many  dead,  one  hundred  houses  washed  away,  and  property 
loss  of  $1,000,000 — such  was  the  tale  of  destruction  in  Chil- 
licothe. On  Friday,  March  28th,  the  waters  had  begun  to 
recede,  leaving  seven  bodies  hanging  on  the  Kilgore  bridge, 
three  miles  south  of  the  city,  but  it  was  impossible  to  recover 
them  immediately. 

Conditions  were  much  improved,  the  light  plant  having 
been  able  to  resume  service,  and  the  water  supply  also  was 
now  adequate.  The  water  had  receded  from  the  streets, 
and  all  public  utilities  resumed  operations. 

The  homeless  refugees  were  being  cared  for  in  the  homes 


THE  FLOOD  IN  EASTERN   OHIO  175 

which  withstood  the  flood  and  in  school  houses.  Provisions 
were  plentiful  and  there  was  no  disorder.  Many  citizens 
were  sworn  in  as  deputy  marshals. 

The  looting  problem  was  one  difficulty  for  the  authorities. 
Notwithstanding  their  efforts  much  looting  took  place. 

Near  Omega,  to  the  south,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hatfield  and 
their  family  of  seven  children  were  drowned  when  their  home, 
barn  and  all  their  other  buildings  were  swept  down  the  river. 

FLOOD  AND  FIRE  IN  PORTSMOUTH 

Portsmouth  presented  a  picture  of  distress  as  the  flood 
from  the  swollen  Scioto  and  Ohio  Rivers  advanced.  On 
the  night  of  March  27th  the  Scioto  bridge  was  swept  away 
by  the  flood.  By  morning  hundreds  of  persons  had  been 
driven  from  their  homes,  school  houses  had  been  thrown 
open  to  the  homeless,  the  streets  were  filled  with  household 
goods  and  merchants  in  the  heart  of  the  city  were  moving 
their  wares  to  places  of  safety  in  anticipation  of  flood  con- 
ditions more  serious  than  ever  before. 

On  March  29th  the  Ohio  River  stood  at  sixty-eight  feet, 
the  highest  ever  known,  and  was  rising. 

Fire  broke  out  in  several  places  and  was  difficult  of  control 
because  the  flood  had  interfered  with  the  water  facilities. 

Efficient  management,  however,  soon  brought  the  situation 
under  control. 

The  arrival  of  the  steamers,  "Klondike"  and  "J.  I.  Ware," 
on  March  31st,  brought  sufficient  provisions  to  supply  those 
in  need  for  a  week. 


176  THE   FLOOD   IN   EASTERN   OHIO 

HOMELESS   IN   EAST   LIVERPOOL   AND   WELLSVILLE 

We  have  already  seen  the  swollen  waters  of  the  Ohio  at 
Cincinnati,  Portsmouth  and  Marietta.  It  remains  to  treat 
of  the  devastation  wrought  in  other  Ohio  River  towns  in  the 
eastern  and  southern  parts. 

At  East  Liverpool  on  March  27th,  more  than  a  thousand 
families  were  driven  from  their  homes,  five  thousand  potters 
were  deprived  of  employment  temporarily  and  the  city  water 
works  were  out  of  commission  as  the  result  of  the  flood. 
The  electric  light  plant  was  seriously  threatened  and  trolley 
lines  were  tied  up. 

The  following  day  the  river  had  eclipsed  the  48.8  foot 
stage  of  1884.     A  stage  of  at  least  fifty-one  feet  was  expected. 

Conditions  remained  the  same,  but  the  situation  at  Wells- 
ville,  a  city  of  ten  thousand,  three  miles  south,  was  perilous. 
Over  three  thousand  were  homeless.  The  city  is  located  on 
a  flat  promontory,  with  the  eastern  portion  a  slight  apex 
against  the  fast  rising  stream. 

Back  water  had  already  made  an  island  of  the  city,  pre- 
cluding any  possibility  of  escape  to  the  high  hills. 

Both  East  Liverpool  and  Wellsville  were  in  darkness 
because  of  the  shutting  down  of  the  power  plants.  All  the 
river  front  potteries  and  mills  were  idle.  Street  railway  and 
railroad  traffic  was  at  a  standstill. 

Police  and  fire  departments  of  Wellsville  and  East  Liver- 
pool made  many  thrilling  rescues  during  the  day.  Seven 
Italians,  dumped  from  a  skiff,  were  taken  from  the  water 
half  drowned. 


THE  FLOOD   IN  EASTERN   OHIO  177 

Food  supplies  were  diminishing  at  Wellsville,  there  was 
no  electricity  or  gas,  the  supply  of  coal  was  constantly  lessen- 
ing and  the  river  still  rising. 

FLOOD   WASHES   STEUBENVILLE 

At  Steubenville  the  Ohio  River  at  9  o'clock  on  March  26th 
was  at  the  34.4-foot  stage  and  rising  at  the  rate  of  seven  tenths 
of  an  inch  an  hour.  The  west  part  of  the  town  was  under 
water  and  twenty-five  houses  flooded.  Many  families  were 
rescued  by  wagons.  Five  large  manufacturing  plants  were 
forced  to  close  down,  throwing  1,300  men  out  of  work. 

HIGHEST   FLOOD    IN   HISTORY    OF   GALLIPOLIS 

The  river  at  Gallipolis  reached  the  sixty-seven-foot  stage, 
six  feet  higher  than  ever  before,  but  was  gradually  falling. 
The  State  Hospital  remained  unharmed,  and  was  for  a  time 
taking  care  of  two  hundred  people,  while  the  town  was  taking 
care  of  three  hundred.  There  was  no  loss  of  life.  Traffic 
was  at  a  standstill,  and  train  service  into  Gallipolis  suspended. 

IRONTON   REQUESTS   AID 

Ironton  suffered  by  both  flood  and  fire.  A  block  and  a 
half  in  the  business  center  of  the  city  were  consumed  by 
fire  and  several  buildings  were  dynamited  to  check  the  flames. 
No  loss  of  life  occurred. 
A  citizen  of  Ironton  wired  to  a  friend  in  Philadelphia: 
"  Floods  here  awful.  Any  charity  funds  that  can  be  directed 
here  through  clubs  or  otherwise  would  be  appreciated." 

12 


178  THE  FLOOD  IN   EASTERN   OHIO 

A   CRITICAL   SITUATION 

Even  taking  into  account  the  tremendous  seriousness  of 
the  flood  in  Dayton  and  Columbus,  the  situation  all  along 
the  Ohio  River  was  one  that  called  for  sympathy  and  sus- 
tained relief.  Governor  Cox,  of  Ohio,  in  one  of  his  early 
proclamations  covering  relief  work  said: 

"There  is  every  indication  that  the  Ohio  River  will  reach 
the  highest  stage  in  its  history.  Calls  for  food  and  clothing 
are  coming  from  unexpected  parts  of  the  State.  A  critical 
situation  has  developed  in  all  Ohio  River  towns.  We  are 
still  greatly  in  need  of  help." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Flood  in  Eastern  Indiana 

horror  of  the  rising  water-— 'the  four  floods — dis- 
aster in  brookville — people  gathered  ln  churches — 
news  from  laurel — surging  flood  at  fort  wayne. 

7WERY  stream  we  crossed  seemed  to  be  a  raging 
torrent,  its  waters  racing  at  top  speed,"  said  one 
traveler  who  arrived  in  Chicago  on  March  26th. 
"We  could  hear  the  swish  of  the  waters  and  hear  the  cries 
of  people  in  distress/'  reported  another. 

Yet  these  eye-witnesses  could  not  see  the  worst  of  the 
four  vast  floods  that  swept  over  the  state  of  Indiana,  tying  up 
the  railroads,  rendering  thousands  of  persons  homeless,  kill- 
ing scores  of  others,  wiping  out  whole  towns.  Just  how  many 
persons  lost  their  lives  in  the  great  floods  will  probably  never 
be  known. 

THE   FOUR  FLOODS 

Indiana  had  known  many  devastating  floods,  but  none 
like  to  this  in  either  destructive  force  or  extent.  On  March 
26th  three  distinct  flood  districts  prevailed — the  eastern  part 
of  the  state  including  the  valley  of  the  White  Water  River 
and  the  Fort  Wayne  territory,  the  valley  of  the  White  River 

(179) 


180         THE   FLOOD   IN   EASTERN   INDIANA 

and  its  tributaries,  and  the  valley  of  the  Wabash.  Later  the 
flooding  of  the  Ohio  River  and  its  tributaries  added  to  the 
awful  tale  of  disaster.  The  entire  state  was  practically  one 
huge  sea,  and  every  brook,  creek  and  river  exacted  its  toll  of 
damage. 

The  overflow,  coming  with  astonishing  suddenness,  caught 
farmers  throughout  the  state  unprepared  and  the  breaking 
of  levees  in  many  places  forced  persons  living  along  the  rivers 
to  desert  their  homes.  In  the  crowded  cities  it  added  woe  upon 
woe. 

The  appalling  swiftness  with  which  the  waters  rose  found 
city  as  well  as  state  unprepared.  [Streams  that  were  brooks 
Easter  morning  had  become  raging  torrents  on  Tuesday. 
Persons  who  retired  in  apparently  safe  homes  Monday  were 
rescued  the  following  day  from  second-story  windows  with 
boats.     Lowlands  became  vast  lakes. 

The  dawn  of  Wednesday,  March  26th,  found  anxiety  in 
Indiana  centered  in  Brookville  and  Connersville,  on  the 
White  Water  River,  from  which  frantic  appeals  for  aid  were 
received  by  Governor  Ralston. 

Other  despatches  from  the  same  region  declared  that  the 
smaller  towns  of  Metamora,  Cedar  Grove  and  Prenton  were 
swept  away  completely. 

DISASTER   IN   BROOKVILLE 

Sixteen  persons  were  drowned  at  Brookville,  when  they 
were  caught  by  the  east  and  west  forks  of  White  Water 
River  which  meet  in  that  town.     Survivors  told  of  attempts 


THE   FLOOD   IN  EASTERN   INDIANA         181 

of  men,  women  and  children  to  escape  by  the  light  of  lanterns. 
Cross  currents  rushing  along  streets  and  alleys  carried  them 
down  to  a  united  stream  a  mile  wide  just  south  of   the  town. 

Five  children,  all  of  one  family,  were  seen  clinging  to  posts 
of  an  old-fashioned  wooden  bed  when  they  were  swept  into 
the  main  stream  and  lost. 

The  person  from  Connersville  who  first  talked  with  the 
Governor  said  that  a  break  in  the  White  Water  River  levee 
had  flooded  the  valley,  sweeping  many  persons  before  it. 
After  that  it  was  impossible  to  re-establish  communication 
even  for  a  few  minutes.  Militia  were  ready  all  during  the 
night  to  hurry  to  the  town,  but  no  train  was  operated  in  that 
direction. 

PEOPLE  GATHERED  IN  CHURCHES 

Five  wagon  bridges,  the  Big  Four  Railroad  bridge,  the 
depot  and  a  paper  mill  were  utterly  destroyed.  Fifty  summer 
houses  on  White  Water  River  south  of  Rrookville  were  washed 
away,  foundations  and  all.  People,  bowed  down  by  the 
calamity,  gathered  in  churches,  where  religious  services  were 
held.     None  of  the  bodies  were  recovered  for  several  days. 

Hall  Schuster  was  drowned  Thursday  night  in  an  attempt 
to  cross  the  West  Fork  of  the  White  River  at  Brookville  to 
rescue  Harlan  Kennedy,  a  hermit,  formerly  a  Methodist 
minister. 

Two  hundred  and  fifty  children  rescued  from  the  flood 
had  only  night  clothes.  Wagon  trains  carried  food  and  cloth- 
ing from  Connersville  to  the  stricken  people. 

On  Friday,  March  28th,  the  list  of  known  dead  in  Brook- 


182         THE  FLOOD  IN   EASTERN   INDIANA 

ville  was  sixteen.  Heavy  loss  of  property  and  a  food  and  fuel 
famine  imminent  were  the  precise  situation. 

There  were  six  persons  missing,  and  it  was  feared  that  they 
had  been  drowned  and  their  bodies  washed  away  or  buried 
in  debris  that  had  not  yet  been  searched. 

Brookville  was  practically  under  martial  law,  and  twenty 
men  were  driven  out  of  the  city  after  they  were  discovered 
looting  damaged  homes  and  buildings. 

NEWS   FROM   LAUREL 

News  from  Laurel  reached  Connersville  on  Saturday  when 
Deputy  Postmaster  George  Lockwood  came  through  on  horse- 
back. He  said  the  White  Water  River  valley,  eleven  miles 
around  Laurel,  was  flooded,  and  the  damage  estimated  at 
$300,000. 

Four  buildings  and  many  small  houses  were  wrecked  in 
Laurel,  but  no  lives  were  lost.  Several  farmers  in  the  valley 
between  Brookville  and  Laurel  were  missing  and  their  houses 
had  disappeared.  Several  other  towns  in  the  valley  were 
inundated  and  many  houses  had  been  swept  away. 

SURGING   FLOOD   AT   FORT   WAYNE 

At  Fort  Wayne,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  state  at  the 
confluence  of  the  St.  Mary's  and  the  Maumee  Rivers,  the  flood 
surged  for  three  days. 

A  keeper  in  the  Orphan  Asylum  and  five  men  in  a  surf- 
boat  did  splendid  work  in  saving  seventy-five  inmates  of  the 
asylum  from  drowning.     All  life-saving  stations  in  the  flooded 


THE   FLOOD   IN   EASTERN   INDIANA         183 

district  devoted  their  utmost  efforts  to  the  work  of  rescue 
and  used  their  funds  and  supplies  without  stint.  The  relief 
work  was  in  every  way  well  organized. 

SITUATION   UNDER   CONTROL 

On  March  28th,  with  the  flood  receding  at  the  rate  of  three 
inches  an  hour,  Fort  Wayne  had  the  situation  in  control  and 
stood  ready  to  assist  its  less  fortunate  neighbors.  Many  of 
the  refugees  were  able  to  get  back  into  their  homes.  The 
property  loss  was  estimated  at  $4,000,000,  and  it  was  almost 
certain  that  the  loss  of  life  would  not  exceed  six. 

The  pumping  station  had  been  started  up  the  previous 
night,  two  locomotives  sent  by  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad 
furnishing  the  power.  The  water  was  being  pumped  from  the 
river.  The  only  drinking  water  available  for  several  days 
was  brought  in  bottles. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Desolation  of  Indianapolis  and  the  Valley  of  the 

White  River 

the  two  forks  of  the  white  river — worst  damage  in 
indianapolis — systematic  rescue  work — thieves  bent 
on  plunder — predicament  of  west  indianapolis — the 
receding  waters — flood  victims  helpless — an  april 
wedding — other  towns  affected. 


1 


A  |  AHE  two  great  forks  of  the  White  River  and  their 
tributaries  drain  about  half  of  the  area  of  Indiana. 
Indianapolis,  the  capital  of  the  state,  is  situated  on 
the  West  Fork.  In  this  city  and  more  particularly  in  West 
Indianapolis  the  torrent  roaring  through  the  White  River 
valley  did  its  worst  damage. 

Hundreds  of  spectators  were  watching  the  river  on  Tues- 
day evening,  March  25th,  when,  with  a  roar  that  could  be 
heard  for  blocks,  hundreds  of  tons  of  dirt  in  the  Morris 
Street  levee  crumbled  under  the  pressure,  and  great  walls  of 
water,  rushed  through  the  opening. 

Men,  women  and  children  fought  through  the  water  toward 
a  near-by  bridge,  which  seemed  to  offer  the  only  safety. 
Many  houses  were  torn  to  pieces  by  the  rush  of  the  water, 

(184) 


THE  DESOLATION   OF  INDIANAPOLIS       185 

and  others  were  carried  away.  Families  in  one-story  homes 
were  at  the  mercy  of  the  sudden  rush  of  water  that  followed. 
The  people  were  literally  trapped  in  their  own  houses. 

OTHER   TOWNS   AFFECTED 

Other  towns  affected  by  the  flooding  of  the  White  River 
and  its  tributaries  were  Muncie,  Elwood,  Anderson,  Nobles- 
ville,  Bloomington,  Washington,  Newcastle,  Rushville,  Shel- 
byville,  etc.  At  Noblesville  the  river  was  the  highest  it  had 
been  in  thirty-three  years,  at  Muncie  a  dike  in  the  water 
plant  broke  and  the  city  was  without  fire  protection.  At 
Rushville  Flat  Rock  Creek  waters  rose  with  a  roar,  and  clang- 
ing fire  bells  warned  the  people  to  flee.  The  entire  business 
section  was  submerged.  One  person  met  death  in  Muncie; 
one  in  Newcastle;  one  in  Rushville,  and  five  in  West  Indian- 
apolis. 

Indianapolis  awoke  the  following  morning  to  find  the  waters 
higher  than  ever  appeared  before,  with  a  property  loss  that 
two  days  before  would  have  been  unbelievable.  It  was  hard 
to  bring  the  full  realization  of  the  damage  to  the  people,  who 
had  no  thought  of  a  flood  from  streams  that  ordinarily  are 
unimportant,  aiding  only  in  beautifying  the  city's  parks  and 
boulevard  driveways. 

A   NIGHT   OF   DISASTER   AND   FEAR 

During  the  night  the  water  advanced  upon  the  exclusive 
residence  section  along  Fall  Creek.  It  tore  away  one  bridge, 
destroyed  the  city's  most  pretentious  driveway  and  forced 


186        THE  DESOLATION   OF  INDIANAPOLIS 

the  families  living  along  its  banks  to  desert  their  palatial 
homes. 

A  few  hours  before  they  had  no  idea  they  were  in  any  dan- 
ger, and  were  awakened  by  the  militiamen  to  be  ordered 
from  the  threatened  buildings,  only  to  find  every  hotel  in  the 
city  full.     They  were  cared  for  at  the  homes  of  friends. 

The  Washington  Street  bridge  over  the  White  River  that 
connects  Indianapolis  and  West  Indianapolis,  which  was 
closed  for  traffic  late  Tuesday  night,  in  the  early  morning 
was  torn  apart  by  the  waters,  the  floor  of  the  structure  being 
carried  away. 

A   DESOLATE   CITY 

With  the  breaking  of  day  came  the  proposition  of  feeding 
the  refugees.  The  city  appropriated  monej'  to  supply  imme- 
diate needs  and  a  relief  fund  was  started.  Drinking  water 
was  at  a  premium,  and  water  for  bathing  was  practically 
unattainable. 

Schools  were  closed,  and  there  was  a  general  suspension  of 
business.  The  water  in  some  of  the  streets  north  of  Fall 
Creek,  only  fifteen  miles  from  the  business  district,  swept 
everything  before  it.  The  street  cars  remained  standing 
in  the  streets  where  they  were  stopped  when  the  power  house 
was  flooded.  All  interurban  lines  were  at  a  standstill  and  the 
steam  roads  had  poor  success  in  getting  trains  out  of  the  city. 
Passenger  trains  were  shut  out  of  the  city  on  the  lines  enter- 
ing from  the  West,  and  the  passengers  were  forced  to  share 
the  lot  of  the  homeless  refugees. 


THE  DESOLATION   OF  INDIANAPOLIS        187 

By  Thursday  conditions  in  Indianapolis  were  such  that 
Governor  Ralston  was  impelled  to  issue  a  proclamation  ask- 
ing for  general  relief.  Five  hundred  refugees  from  West 
Indianapolis  were  brought  in  small  boats  to  the  Blaine  Street 
wharf.  Some  of  these  had  been  clinging  to  trees  for  hours. 
Others  were  taken  from  floating  houses.  Women  with  babies 
were  taken  from  the  upper  stories  of  houses.  The  refugees 
said  that  many  had  been  killed  in  Wolf  Hall  when  the  floors 
of  that  building  gave  way  under  the  strain  of  hundreds  who 
had  taken  refuge  there.  Reports  of  death  were  everywhere 
exaggerated,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  accurate  knowledge 
and  the  shattered  nerves  of  the  sufferers. 

SYSTEMATIC   RESCUE   WORK 

Systematic  rescue  work  was  rendered  more  difficult  by  a 
storm  of  snow  and  sleet.  Tomlinson  Hall,  the  great  civic 
gathering  place  of  the  city,  was  converted  into  a  temporary 
hospital.  The  homeless  men,  women  and  children  from  West 
Indianapolis,  Broad  Ripple  and  other  suburbs  devastated  by 
the  White  River  were  taken  to  the  hall  and  were  fed  and  given 
medical  attention.  From  Fort  Benjamin  Harrison  500 
blankets  and  500  mattresses  and  cots  were  obtained.  Citi- 
zens' committees  were  in  charge  of  the  work  of  distributing 
food  and  of  raising  money.  It  was  estimated  that  10,000 
persons  in  Indianapolis  alone  were  in  need  of  immediate 
assistance. 

The  situation  was  rendered  graver  by  the  outbreak  of  con- 
tagious diseases.     Five  women  rescued  and  taken  to  Tomlin- 


188        THE   DESOLATION   OF  INDIANAPOLIS 

son  Hall  were  suffering  from  pneumonia,  and  cases  of  whoop- 
ing cough  and  measles  were  discovered  among  the  refugees. 

There  were  numerous  cases  of  pneumonia.  Measles  and 
whooping  cough  attacked  the  children.  Nearly  all  of  the 
doctors  of  the  city  volunteered  their  services  and  asked  for 
volunteer  nurses. 

Those  suffering  from  contagious  diseases  were  removed  at 
once  and  inspectors  from  the  city  board  of  health  aided  by  a 
corps  of  nurses  detailed  from  various  hospitals  of  the  city 
set  to  work  to  prevent  exposure  of  the  refugees  to  contagion 
and  to  take  care  of  the  other  sick. 

THIEVES   BENT   ON   PLUNDER 

Thieves  took  advantage  of  the  wrecking  of  lighting  plants 
to  plunder  deserted  houses  and  even  to  rob  survivors  of  the 
flood.  In  West  Indianapolis  the  vandals  and  robbers  became 
so  bold  that  Governor  Ralston  placed  that  section  of  the 
city  under  martial  law  and  sent  a  company  of  militia  to  guard 
the  streets.  Orders  were  given  to  shoot  on  sight  any  one 
caught  at  robbery. 

PREDICAMENT   OF   WTEST   INDIANAPOLIS 

The  greed  of  provision  dealers  angered  Governor  Ralston 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  started  an  investigation.  Before 
the  supply  of  bread  available  on  the  West  Side  had  been 
exhausted,  loaves  were  selling  at  twenty  cents  each.  The 
supply  of  meat  was  entirely  exhausted. 

That  section  of  Indianapolis  lying  west  of  the  river,  where 


THE   DESOLATION   OF  INDIANAPOLIS        189 

martial  law  was  proclaimed,  is  the  poorest  in  the  city.  The 
supply  of  meats,  eggs,  milk,  coffee,  bread  and  butter  was  prac- 
tically exhausted  before  noon.  Little  except  canned  goods 
remained  on  the  shelves  of  the  grocers. 

Relief  trains  loaded  with  provisions  were  unable  to  enter 
this  district.  Members  of  the  board  of  public  safety  and 
other  city  officials  inspected  the  entire  flooded  district  from 
motor  boats  and  directed  efficient  organization  of  the  relief 
workers,  aiding  the  state  troops  and  state  officials  in  every 
possible  way. 

THE    RECEDING   WATERS 

By  Friday  the  White  River  had  begun  to  fall  slowly,  and 
the  work  of  caring  for  the  suffering  could  be  prosecuted 
vigorously.  It  was  estimated  that  the  property  loss  in  the 
city  and  environs  would  reach  $10,000,000.  Part  of  this  loss 
was  in  destroyed  bridges.  The  Vandalia  Railroad  bridge 
over  the  White  River  went  down  Friday,  carrying  with  it  ten 
loaded  cars. 

By  Monday,  March  31st,  White  River  waters  had  returned 
to  almost  normal  channel,  and  the  areas  that  were  covered  were 
being  searched  to  locate  the  bodies  of  any  who  might  have 
been  drowned.  The  city  board  of  health  prepared  typhoid 
serum  for  50,000  treatments  to  aid  in  warding  off  an 
epidemic.     State  troops  were  withdrawn. 

On  Tuesday  hundreds  of  homes  were  cleaned  and,  with 
furniture  which  could  be  salvaged  and  that  supplied  by  the 
Relief  Committee,  the  owners  were  able  to  resume  house- 


190       THE   DESOLATION   OF  INDIANAPOLIS 

keeping.  Relief  funds  were  still  increasing  and  all  persons 
who  lost  homes  or  furniture  in  the  flood  were  being  cared  for. 
Many  persons  in  the  West  Indianapolis  flood  district  were 
treated  with  an  anti-diphtheria  vaccine,  and  Dr.  T.  V.  Keene, 
in  charge  of  the  medical  relief  work  in  the  flooded  districts, 
said  he  feared  no  epidemic. 

FLOOD    VICTIMS   HELPLESS 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  were  reported  necessary 
to  relieve  suffering  among  the  flood  refugees  in  Indianapolis, 
according  to  the  report  of  the  General  Relief  Committee,  made 
en  Wednesday,  April  2d,  at  a  meeting  in  Mayor  Shank's 
office. 

.  Plans  for  raising  a  vast  sum  of  money,  to  be  made  availa- 
ble immediately  to  the  sufferers,  were  discussed  and  it  was 
decided  to  start  popular  subscriptions  and  designate  places 
for  contributions. 

Joseph  C.  Schaf,  one  of  the  investigators  for  the  commit- 
tee, said: 

"The  flood  victims  are  helpless.  They  need  money  and 
need  it  immediately.  The  men  are  trying  to  hold  their  jobs 
and  let  the  women  clean  up  the  homes,  and  it  is  a  dishearten- 
ing task  for  which  many  are  not  physically  able.  Give  them 
money  immediately  so  they  can  pile  their  water-soaked  mat- 
tresses and  other  furniture  in  the  street  and  touch  a  match 
to  it.     That  will  give  them  new  heart." 

Mr.  Schaf  increased  his  donation  by  $1,000,  and  several 
other  members  of  the  committee  did  likewise. 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  Roaring  Torrent  of  the  Wabash 

a  bitter  tale  of  destruction — many  people  driven  from 

homes — alarming  conditions the  plight  of  kokomo — 

the  homeless  in  wabash — distress  of  logansport — 
military  cadets  aid  in  relief — new  disaster  at  lafay- 
ette— a  second  horror  in  terra  haute — the  receding 

WATERS. 

BITTER  was  the  tale  of  destruction  in  the  valley  of  the 
Wabash  River  and  its  tributaries.  A  traveler  jour- 
neying over  the  Wabash  Railroad  on  Easter  Sunday 
would  have  seen  only  the  usual  quiet  little  towns  of  the  Middle 
West;  three  days  later,  if  he  could  have  looked  down  over  the 
same  territory  he  would  have  seen  nothing  but  a  raging  torrent 
sweeping  through  the  region  like  some  fiendish  monster 
devouring  and  destroying  as  it  pursued  its  mad  course.  He 
would  have  found  the  entire  Wabash  Valley*  including  Logans- 
port,  Wabash,  Lafayette  and  Peru,  a  desolate  scene,  its 
scores  of  prosperous  cities  absolutely  paralyzed  and  cut  off 
from  the  outer  world.  Telephone  and  telegraph  wires  were 
down  everywhere;  trains  were  not  running  and  roads  were 
obliterated  ■ 

an) 


192      ROARING   TORRENT  OF  THE  WABASH 

MANY   PEOPLE    DRIVEN   FROM   HOMES 

As  early  as  Monday,  March  24th,  northern  Indiana  had 
suffered  severe  loss,  due  to  the  heavy  rains  of  the  previous 
twenty-four  hours,  which  had  carried  away  bridges,  stopped 
railroad  and  interurban  traffic,  flooded  store  basements,  driven 
people  from  their  homes  along  the  river  banks,  and  washed 
away  houses.  At  Hartford  City  there  were  seven  feet  of  water 
in  the  paper  mills  and  the  merchants  had  lost  heavily  from 
flooded  basements. 

At  Portland  water  was  standing  three  feet  deep  in  the  center 
of  the  city  and  the  loss  to  merchants  from  damage  to  goods 
reached  $100,000. 

The  wind,  which  followed  heavy  rain,  cut  a  path  several 
hundred  feet  wide. 

At  Kokomo  the  light,  heat,  power,  gas  and  water  plants 
were  out  of  commission  and  the  river  was  still  rising.  The  city 
was  without  fire  protection;  South  Kokomo,  with  6,000 
inhabitants,  was  cut  off  from  the  main  city. 

It  was  declared  to  be  the  worst  flood  known  in  Wabash 
since  1883;  and  rain  was  still  falling.  Hundreds  of  residents 
of  the  lowlands  abandoned  their  homes.  Interurban  traffic 
was  paralyzed. 

ALARMING    CONDITIONS 

Reports  on  the  following  day  were  still  more  alarming. 
The  worst  conditions  prevailed  in  Kokomo,  Wabash,  Peru, 
Loganspert,  Lafayette  and  Terra  Haute.  Thousands  of  people 
all   along   the   Wabash   were    crying   for   food    and   shelter. 


ROARING  TORRENT  OF  THE  WABASH      193 

Wabash,  Kokomo,  Peru,  Logansport  and  Lafayette  were 
entirely  cut  oft'  from  communication  with  the  outside  world. 
A  big  snowstorm  on  the  heels  of  a  drop  in  temperature  added 
to  the  suffering. 

Rescue  work  was  carried  on  by  volunteers,  police,  firemen 
and  the  state  militia,  and  every  place  where  there  was  a  dry 
home  was  thrown  open  to  the  flood  refugees. 

From  many  places  frantic  appeals  for  aid  were  received 
by  the  state  officials,  but  lack  of  all  means  of  transportation 
and  crippled  telephone  and  telegraph  service  forced  the  sub- 
merged towns  to  rely  entirely  upon  their  own  resources. 

THE   PLIGHT   OF   KOKOMO 

At  Kokomo  the  water  in  some  of  the  streets  was  eight  feet 
deep  and  rushing  like  a  mountain  torrent.  Schools  and 
business  were  suspended  and  state  troops  patrolled  the  town  as 
far  as  they  were  able.  The  homes  of  a  thousand  persons  were 
submerged.  No  lives  were  lost,  but  there  were  many  narrow 
escapes.  Several  persons  were  rescued  from  second  story 
windows  by  the  few  boats  available.  Rafts  could  not  be  used 
because  of  the  swiftness  of  the  current. 

THE   HOMELESS   IN   WABASH 

Seven  hundred  and  fifty  persons  in  Wabash  were  rendered 
homeless  as  the  result  of  the  high  flood  in  the  river.  The  city 
was  without  gas,  water  or  lighting  facilities. 

The  mayor  on  Thursday,  March  27th,  issued  a  proclama- 
tion ordering  that  all  saloons  and  business  houses  close  at 

13 


194    THE  ROARING  TORRENT  OF  THE  WABASH 

six  o'clock.  He  instructed  the  police  to  keep  people  off  the 
streets. 

There  was  no  loss  of  life,  but  the  property  loss  was  estimated 
at  $350,000. 

There  was  no  communication  with  the  outside  world  from 
Monday  until  Thursday  afternoon. 

DISTRESS   OF   LOGANSPORT 

The  business  district  and  the  south  and  west  sides  of  Logans- 
port  were  under  water  on  Tuesday.  The  bridge  at  the  coun- 
try club  had  been  washed  away.  Other  bridges  over  the 
Wabash  had  been  flooded.  The  moving  vans  were  unable 
to  handle  all  the  persons  trying  to  move  out  of  the  danger  zone 
and  the  firemen  of  the  city  gave  aid.  The  electric  light  and 
water  plants  were  endangered.  There  was  great  suffering 
among  the  poorer  people.  Logansport  was  also  cut  off  from 
telephone  and  telegraph  communication.  Two  deaths  by 
drowning  were  reported  (later  corrected  to  one)  and  ten 
houses  were  washed  down  stream. 

MILITARY  CADETS   AID   IN   RELIEF 

On  Wednesday  the  flood  waters  of  the  Wabash  were  six- 
teen feet  deep  on  the  floors  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
Station,  and  cadets  from  the  Culver  Military  Academy  were 
rushed  to  the  city  to  aid  in  the  rescue  and  relief  of  scores  of 
people  marooned  in  the  business  districts. 

The  Third  Street  bridge  had  been  swept  away.  The 
bridge  at  Sixth  Street  was  being  washed  out.     The  people 


ROARING  TORRENT   OF  THE   WABASH      195 

were  fleeing  to  the  hills,  where  they  were  housed  in  school 
houses  and  churches. 

By  indirect  telephone  routes  on  Thursday,  Governor  Ral- 
ston received  an  urgent  call  from  Logansport  for  troops  to 
aid  in  rescue  work  and  to  patrol  the  city.  The  city  had  been 
cut  off  from  reliable  communication  with  the  outside  world 
since  Tuesday  evening.  The  continuance  of  the  high  waters 
added  hourly  to  the  heavy  property  losses,  and  the  snow- 
storm and  bitter  cold  caused  intense  suffering. 

NEW    DISASTER   AT   LAFAYETTE 

At  2  p.  m.  on  Tuesday,  March  25th,  two  spans  of  the  bridge 
over  the  Wabash  River  at  Lafayette  went  out,  carrying  a 
number  of  people  with  it.  Boats  below  the  bridge  succeeded 
in  rescuing  all  but  one  man. 

At  3.15  p.  m.  West  Lafayette,  where  Purdue  University  is 
located,  was  cut  off  from  Lafayette  by  the  breaking  of  one  of 
the  levees  and  the  submerging  of  the  other.  The  river  was 
two  miles  wide  and  business  houses  were  preparing  to  move 
their  wares,  anticipating  a  three-foot  rise  during  the  night. 
No  interurban  lines  were  being  operated  and  steam  lines  were 
making  little  effort  to  maintain  train  service. 

The  business  district  and  the  south  and  west  sides  of  Logans- 
port  were  under  water.  The  bridge  at  the  Country  Club  had 
been  washed  away. 

A   SECOND   HORROR   IN   TERRA   HAUTE 

All  down  the  length  of  the  Wabash  the  torrent  raged. 
Hardly  recovering  from  the  daze  of  the  Easter  tornado,  treated 


196      ROARING  TORRENT  OF  THE   WABASH 

in  another  chapter,  Terra  Haute  inside  of  forty-eight  hours 
faced  its  second  disaster,  when  the  waters  of  the  Wabash  left 
the  banks,  flooding  part  of  the  residence  section. 

The  river  was  then  rising  at  the  rate  of  five  inches  an  hour. 
Railroad  traffic  was  suspended  and  interurban  traction  ser- 
vice had  been  abandoned.  Residents  of  Taylorviile,  Roberts- 
ville  and  West  Terre  Haute  deserted  their  homes,  fleeing 
before  the  approaching  waters.  Five  hundred  homes  were 
under  water  and  the  coal  mines  near  the  city  were  flooded. 

For  two  days  the  situation  seemed  to  grow  hourly  more 
desperate.  On  Thursday  the  river  had  reached  a  stage  of 
thirt}r-one  feet  six  inches  and  was  steadily  rising.  Four 
thousand  persons  were  homeless,  and  those  whose  homes  were 
on  higher  ground  were  without  gas  or  electricity.  Traffic  was 
at  a  standstill. 

THE    RECEDING   WATERS 

Rut  slowly  the  waters  receded  and  the  work  of  reconstruc- 
tion was  begun.  On  down  the  river  the  disaster-bringing 
torrent  traveled.  Throughout  all  southern  Indiana  the  river 
reached  unprecedented  stages  and  hundreds  were  driven  from 
their  homes.  Railroad  lines  were  covered  with  water  through 
many  counties,  and  on  March  31st  the  river  was  reported 
forty  miles  wide  between  Upton,  Indiana,  and  Carmi,  Illinois. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
The  Plight  of  Peru:    A  Stricken  City 

LAST  MESSAGE  FROM  PERU — AT  ONCE  TO  THE  RESCUE — THOU- 
SANDS MAROONED — TALES  OF  STRUGGLE — FAMINE  AND 
DISEASE — GREED  ABROAD  IN  THE  CITY — REFUGEES  URGED 
TO  LEAVE  —  SEARCH  FOR  THE  DEAD  —  SHAKING  OFF 
DESPAIR. 

OF  all  the  cities  devastated  by  flood  in  Indiana,  Peru  was 
the  most  desolated.     Situated  on  the  Wabash  River 
just   below   the   entrance   of    the   Mississinewa,   it 
suffered  more  than  any  of  the  stricken  cities  through  which 
the  angry,  swollen  waters  of  the  Wabash  flowed. 

"This  probably  will  be  the  last  message  you  will  get  from 
Peru,"  said  the  man  who  telegraphed  to  Governor  Ralston  on 
March  25th,  asking  for  coffins,  food  and  clothing.  "Two  hun- 
dred or  more  are  drowned  and  the  remainder  of  the  residents 
are  waiting  for  daylight." 

AT   ONCE   TO   THE   RESCUE 

Governor  Ralston  immediately  communicated  with  State 
Senator  Fleming  at  Fort  Wayne  and  asked  him  to  forward 
the  coffins  and  other  supplies  as  requested. 

(197) 


198  THE  PLIGHT  OF  PERU 

When  the  messages  of  distress  from  Peru  were  sent  forth 
South  Bend  and  other  cities  sprang  nobly  to  the  rescue.  They 
found  the  people  half  crazed  from  exposure,  want  and  fear. 
One  of  the  rescue  party  who  made  the  trip  in  the  first  boat 
that  entered  the  city  said: 

"The  cry  to  be  saved  from  those  who  saw  the  first  boat 
was  heartrending.  Some  of  them  threatened  to  jump  into 
the  water  if  we  did  not  take  them  aboard.  But  it  was  impos- 
sible with  the  scant  boat  supply  to  take  all  away  at  once." 

THOUSANDS   MAROONED 

Relief  parties  from  South  Bend  were  the  first  to  arrive  on 
the  scene.  They  found  hundreds  of  people  huddled  together 
in  the  court  house  square,  which  was  three  miles  from  the 
nearest  dry  land;  hundreds  more  were  marooned  in  the 
upper  stories  of  buildings  already  rendered  unsafe  by  the 
high  water.  There  was  no  heat,  no  light,  no  water,  and  sani- 
tary conditions  were  horrible.  The  only  motor  boat  had 
broken  and  it  was  too  dangerous  to  venture  into  the  raging 
torrent  in  rowboats.  This  made  it  impossible  for  the  South 
Bend  relief  volunteers  to  get  blankets  and  food  to  the  suf- 
ferers. 

TALES   OF   STRUGGLE 

Death  faced  hundreds  of  persons  who  were  clinging  to  the 
roofs  of  buildings,  where  they  sought  refuge.  Currents  of 
muddy  water  from  ten  to  twenty-five  feet  deep  were  running 
through  the  main  streets  at  twenty  miles  an  hour. 

Harry  Lumley,  a  despatcher,  lay  on  a  table  all  Wednesday 


THE  PLIGHT  OF  PERU  199 

in  the  Peru  station  of  the  Lake  Erie  and  Western  Railroad, 
which  the  water  had  invaded,  and  kept  open  the  line  for  relief 
trains. 

Dr.  W.  A.  Huff,  a  dentist,  started  to  South  Peru  with  an 
unknown  man  Tuesday  night.  The  boat  capsized  and  Huff 
lodged  in  a  tree,  where  he  remained  until  Wednesday  morn- 
ing.    His  condition  was  critical. 

No  effort  was  made  to  count  the  dead.  "Our  energies  are 
being  devoted  entirely  to  saving  those  still  living,"  said 
Lieutenant-Governor  O'Neill.  "It  is  impossible  for  us  even 
to  try  to  learn  the  whereabouts  of  the  bodies  just  now." 

A   VIGILANCE    COMMITTEE 

Citizens,  finding  lawlessness  in  every  block  of  the  city 
above  water,  organized  a  vigilance  committee  with  orders  to 
shoot  looters. 

On  Wednesday  night  several  thousand  persons  were  still 
marooned  in  the  court  house,  hospital,  factory  buildings 
and  other  structures  because  the  various  relief  parties  sent 
from  South  Bend  and  other  cities  had  not  sufficient  boats  to 
carry  them  to  the  nearest  dry  land.  Snow  was  failing  heavily 
and  the  suffering  was  intense,  because  of  the  lack  of  heating 
facilities.  The  city  was  in  darkness,  except  for  a  scant  supply 
of  lanterns. 

FAMINE    AND    DISEASE 

But  the  height  of  the  flood  had  been  reached.  On  Thurs- 
day the  water  was  receding  three  inches  an  hour.  It  had 
fallen  four  feet  since  the  previous  morning,  but  the  current 


200  THE   PLIGHT  OF  PERU 

was  still  so  swift  on  Canton  Street  and  in  South  Peru,  that 
it  was  impossible  to  investigate  in  rowboats  the  district  in 
which  the  heaviest  loss  of  life  was  supposed  to  have  occurred. 

There  were  three  inches  of  snow  on  the  ground  and  it  was 
still  falling.  Recovering  from  the  flood,  Peru  organized  to 
meet  greater  menaces,  famine  and  disease.  At  a  meeting  in 
the  courtroom  at  the  county  building,  Lieutenant-Governor 
O'Neill  was  chosen  head  of  the  committee  on  organization. 

Hundreds  of  persons  marooned  in  the  second  stories  of 
their  homes  appealed  to  passing  boats  for  food,  fuel  and  water. 
Fishermen  seized  some  of  the  boats  and  were  taking  the 
curious  sightseeing.  Persons  who  appropriated  boats  and 
tied  them  up  were  arrested. 

There  were  500  persons  at  the  Bears  Hotel  in  Peru.  Their 
only  fire  was  a  grate  in  the  lobby.  Two  meals  a  day  were 
served.  The  water  had  receded  so  that  a  Lake  Erie  and  West- 
ern relief  train  was  pulled  up  to  the  canning  factory  in  the 
northeast  part  of  the  town  and  took  out  200  persons  marooned 
three  days.  They  were  taken  to  towns  along  Lake  Erie. 
It  was  estimated  that  2,000  persons  had  left  the  city  and 
were  being  cared  for  in  towns  and  school  houses  to  the  north. 
The  relief  committee  discouraged  the  influx  of  people  who 
came  to  Peru  to  see  and  eat,  as  there  were  more  mouths  to 
feed  than  there  were  provisions. 

Lieutenant-Governor  O'Neill  remained  in  Peru  to  insure 
whatever  aid  the  state  could  give  the  sufferers.  He  ordered 
the  Indiana  Board  of  Health  to  send  experts  to  make  the  city 
sanitary.      These   specialists  had    the   co-operation  of    city 


THE  PLIGHT  OF  PERU  201 

and  county  medical  societies  and  a  score  of  physicians  who 
came  from  other  cities. 

TWELVE    BODIES   IN   ONE    HOUSE 

Twelve  bodies  were  recovered  in  a  single  house  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Peru  on  Friday.  This  was  taken  to  indicate 
that  the  loss  of  life  in  that  section  of  the  city  was  great,  as  it 
was  there  that  dwellings  were  completely  submerged  before 
the  occupants  could  vacate. 

"It  is  impossible  to  tell  how  many  lives  were  lost  at  Peru," 
said  one  of  the  rescuers. 

Six  survivors  were  suffocated  in  the  overcrowded  court 
house.  The  weather  had  turned  severely  cold,  adding  to  the 
misery  of  the  unsheltered,  but  the  flood  was  falling  rapidly. 

Terrible  conditions  prevailed  among  the  refugees,  who  were 
increasing  in  numbers,  as  the  waters  receded.  Sanitary  con- 
ditions among  the  hundreds  sheltered  in  the  court  house 
became  so  bad  that  boats  removed  many  of  them  to  other 
places. 

GREED    ABROAD   IN   THE    CITY 

The  water  was  rushing  back  as  fast  as  it  came,  leaving  a 
coat  of  mud  and  slime.  It  was  from  this  that  the  great 
danger  of  disease  existed.  The  state  board  of  health  com- 
bined with  the  Peru  board  to  help  clean  up. 

Relief  workers  and  city  officials  joined  to  investigate  state- 
ments concerning  exorbitant  prices  for  foodstuffs,  and  pro- 
posed to  expose  every  merchant  attempting  to  make  money 
through  the  misfortunes  of  others. 


202  THE  PLIGHT  OF  PERU 

Several  looters  were  arrested  and  others  shot.  One  robber 
was  shot  by  a  citizen,  who  threw  the  body  into  the  river. 

The  work  of  rescue  was  greatly  impeded  by  the  selfishness 
of  residents.  An  Indian  of  the  Wallace  circus  secured  a  boat 
and  charged  people  $200  before  he  would  help  them  off. 
Instances  were  told  of  men  who  drew  revolvers  on  the  men 
and  boys  working  in  the  boats,  threatening  to  shoot  if  they 
did  not  take  them  in. 

REFUGEES  URGED  TO   LEAVE 

Railroad  officials  and  the  relief  committee  urged  refugees 
to  accept  the  hospitality  of  the  municipalities  north.  They 
hoped  to  be  relieved  of  temporary  care  of  3,000  persons  by 
sending  them  out  of  the  city. 

Two  railroads  were  bringing  plenty  of  provisions  within  a 
half  mile  of  the  city,  but  the  boats  could  not  transport  rap- 
idly enough  to  the  center  where  the  supplies  were  being 
distributed. 

SEARCH   FOR   THE   DEAD 

Systematic  search  for  the  dead  was  made,  and  the  appalling 
early  reports  of  hundreds  of  dead  continued  to  shrink,  although 
it  was  believed  that  the  search  would  probably  reveal  more. 
The  diminution  was  due  to  the  discovery  in  the  hills  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Wabash  River  of  hundreds  of  persons 
who  had  been  given  up  as  dead. 

The  streets  were  strewn  with  dead  animals  that  had  begun 
to  decay  in  some  sections.  An  epidemic  was  feared.  One  of 
the  greatest  obstacles  which  the  people  faced  was  that  of  rid- 


THE  PLIGHT  OF  PERU  203 

ding  the  city  of  the  dead  animals  and  filth  in  the  low  sections 
around  the  edge  of  the  city  proper  into  which  disease-breed- 
ing filth  had  been  washed. 

Water  still  covered  these  low  sections,  and  seemed  likely  to 
remain  there  for  a  long  time.  There  were  few  sections  around 
the  valley  that  could  be  used  for  burning  dead  animals. 

Citizens  and  officials  who  were  becoming  alarmed  at  the 
new  danger  estimated  that  at  least  500  dead  animals  were 
strewn  about  the  city  of  Peru  alone.  Most  of  them  had  to  be 
fished  out  of  the  water  wherever  found,  and  it  seemed  an 
impossible  task. 

SHAKING   OFF   DESPAIR 

Slowly  the  city  began  to  shake  off  despair  and  repair  the 
damage  done.  The  property  damage  totaled  $3,000,000. 
The  Broadway  bridge  went  down  when  a  large  house  lodged 
against  it  and  in  turn  carried  away  the  Union  Traction 
structure. 

As  Peru  emerged  from  the  flood  it  became  apparent  that 
the  death  list  probably  would  not  run  over  twenty-five. 

The  indirect  death  list  as  a  result  of  the  flood,  however, 
went  much  higher,  as  scores  of  aged  men  and  women,  who 
for  hours  were  forced  to  undergo  terrible  exposure  and  later 
to  endure  unsanitary  conditions,  perished  soon  after  they 
were  rescued. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Death-Dealing  Tornado  at  Omaha 

the  bolt  out  of  the  blackness — rescuers  working  in 
dark  —  a  city  to  the  rescue  —  path  of  the  storm  — 
interrupted  merrymakers — family  meet  death  to- 
gether— freak  tragedies — brave  telephone  girls — 
vivid  tale  of  the  storm. 

EASTER  Sunday  did  not  dawn  very  brightly  in  Omaha, 
but  in  the  afternoon  the  sun  came  out  warm  and 
bright.  The  usual  Easter  promenaders  thronged 
the  streets  in  holiday  attire.  Then,  as  the  afternoon  wore  on, 
clouds  appeared  in  the  sky.  They  gathered  very  quickly, 
came  lower,  and  as  they  approached  the  earth  there  was 
suddenly  a  fall  in  the  temperature.  In  a  few  minutes  the  sky 
turned  black  and  then  came  the  bolt  of  wind  down  out  of  the 
blackness.  Through  more  than  three  miles  of  the  city  it  cut 
a  clean  path  of  from  three  to  seven  blocks  in  width  in  which 
not  a  building  was  left  whole.  Then  the  storm  mounted  the 
bluffs  and  sped  away  to  the  northeast,  carrying  destruction 
with  it. 

Omaha's  destruction  was  kept  secret  from  the  world  for 
several  hours  by  the  storm,  for  all  wire  communication  was 

(201) 


DEATH-DEALING   TORNADO  AT  OMAHA     205 

broken  down  in  the  wrecking  of  the  homes.  Messengers 
with  the  news  stories  had  to  go  to  Lincoln,  the  state  capital, 
to  give  out  first  definite  news  of  the  disaster. 

During  the  early  hours  of  the  night  uninjured  citizens 
worked  desperately  to  remove  such  persons  as  had  been 
caught  beneath  razed  buildings.  No  great  number  was  killed 
in  any  one  place.  The  wind  swept  along,  taking  its  toll  here 
and  there. 

No  sooner  had  the  great  wind  passed  than  a  second  violent 
gale  swept  over  much  the  same  territory,  but  with  lessened 
fury.  The  total  number  of  dead  in  Omaha  and  suburbs 
amounted  to  154;   the  number  of  homeless  to  3,179. 

Fire  started  in  the  debris  of  many  wrecked  buildings  in 
the  Nebraska  metropolis,  and  these  were  menaces  for  some 
time,  as  the  fire  companies  were  hindered  by  fallen  walls 
and  blockaded  streets.  A  heavy  rain  followed  the  wind, 
however,  and  whilst  it  drenched  the  hundreds  of  homeless 
persons,  it  also  put  out  the  flames. 

RESCUERS   WORKING   IN   DARK 

Rescue  work  started  as  soon  as  the  people  were  able  to 
hurry  to  the  stricken  district,  but  the  night's  work  was  by 
the  light  of  lanterns  and  little  was  accomplished.  The 
storm  took  down  all  the  wires  in  its  path  and  the  electric 
power  was  shut  off  immediately  to  prevent  further  loss  of 
life.  All  night  the  stricken  section  was  patrolled  by  govern- 
ment troops  from  Fort  Omaha. 

With  the  arrival  of  daylight,  a  train-load  of  militia  from 


206    DEATH-DEALING  TORNADO  AT  OMAHA 

Lincoln  and  the  presence  in  the  city  of  Governor  More- 
head,  the  work  was  systematized. 
The  hospitals  in  Omaha  Sunday  night  were  full  of  injured, 


MAP  SHOWING  THE  PATH  OF  THE  TORNADO 

many  of  whom  had  not  been  identified,  apparently  because 
their  friends  were  either  dead  or  among  the  injured. 


A   CITY   TO   THE    RESCUE 

Immediately  City  Commissioners  appropriated  $25,000 
for  relief  work;  citizens  present  at  the  meeting  organized 
and  donated  $25,000  more.  The  Citizens'  Relief  Com- 
mittee was  organized,  composed  of  fifty  citizens  and  an 
executive  committee  of  seven  to  work  with  the  seven  city 
councilmen. 

Governor  Morehead  notified  Mayor  Dahlman  that  he 
would  send  a  special  message  to  the  Legislature  asking  for 


DEATH-DEALING  TORNADO  AT  OMAHA     207 

the  appropriation  of  sufficient  funds  to  care  for  the  homeless 
throughout  the  state. 

Cots  were  placed  in  the  Auditorium,  and  those  without 
shelter  were  housed  here.  The  city  purchasing  agent  arranged 
for  enough  beds  to  care  for  all  those  who  could  sleep  in  the 
Auditorium.  The  Elks'  rooms  were  thrown  open  to  the 
homeless  and  the  Union  Gospel  Mission  provided  seventy- 
five  men  with  beds. 

PATH   OF   THE    STORM 

The  storm  appeared  to  have  started  at  Fifty-fourth  and 
Center  Streets.  From  there  it  traveled  north,  veering 
slightly  to  the  east,  to  Leavenworth  Street.  Then  it  took 
a  northeasterly  course  to  Fortieth  and  Farnam  Streets,  sweep- 
ing its  way  through  everything.  Still  traveling  a  little  east 
of  north,  it  covered  a  course  from  Fortieth  Street  east  to 
Thirty-fourth  Street,  six  blocks. 

Striking  Bemis  Park,  where  the  homes  of  the  wealthy 
Omaha  residents  were  located,  the  storm  turned  sharply  to 
the  east  and  passed  along  Parker  and  Blonde  Streets,  to 
Twenty-fourth  Street,  where  its  path  was  six  blocks  wide. 
In  the  latter  section  the  damage  was  complete. 

Finally,  at  Fourteenth  and  Spencer  Streets,  the  storm 
swept  over  the  bluffs,  high  above  the  Missouri  River,  de- 
molished the  Missouri  Pacific  roundhouse,  leveled  the  big 
trestle  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  over  Carter  Lake, 
wrecked  several  buildings  near  the  Rod  and  Gun  Club,  a 
fashionable  outing  place,  and  disappeared  to  the  northeast. 


208     DEATH-DEALING   TORNADO  AT  OMAHA 

The  Child  Saving  Institute  was  a  veritable  death  house 
after  the  storm  had  spent  its  fury.  Every  available  room 
was  pressed  into  service,  and  one  after  another  the  dead 
and  injured  were  brought  into  the  house. 

INTERRUPTED    MERRYMAKERS 

At  the  home  of  Patrick  Hynes,  a  party  in  celebration  of 
his  eighty-first  birthday  was  in  progress.  The  guests  had 
just  begun  dinner  and  were  drinking  a  toast  to  the  health 
of  their  host  when  the  storm  swept  the  house  away.  All 
the  party  succeeded  in  getting  out  with  minor  injuries, 
except  a  grandchild,  who  was  internally  injured. 

"The  party  had  just  begun  dinner,"  said  Mr.  Hynes. 
"The  young  people  were  making  merry  and,  old  as  I  am, 
I  had  entered  into  the  spirit.  Suddenly  there  was  a  roaring 
sound.  The  next  minute  the  house  was  in  ruins.  I  wiggled 
around  and  out  and  aided  the  others  in  escaping." 

FAMILY  MEET  DEATH  TOGETHER 

Cliff  Daniels,  his  wife  and  their  two  children  met  death 
together.  When  soldiers,  digging  about  the  ruins  of  their 
home,  found  the  four  bodies,  the  two  little  girls  were  clasped 
in  the  arms  of  their  mother,  while  the  body  of  the  father 
was  over  them,  as  if  he  had  tried  to  shield  them  with  his 
own  body. 

When  C.  Saber  discovered  the  crushed  and  almost  unrecog- 
nizable body  of  his  wife  he  fled  down  the  street  shrieking  at 
the  top  of  his  voice. 


DEATH-DEALING  TORNADO  AT  OMAHA     209 

E.  H.  Smith,  a  private  of  the  Signal  Corps  from  Fort 
Omaha,  became  insane  after  helping  carry  several  bodies, 
and  collapsed.  When  he  had  regained  consciousness  it  was 
necessary  to  take  him  to  the  post  hospital,  where  he  was 
placed  under  restraint. 

A.  L.  Green  was  on  his  back  porch  watching  the  storm 
when  it  broke.     He  said: 

"It  came  like  a  rushing  and  roaring  torrent  of  water  and 
passed  right  by  us  to  the  east.  I  went  to  my  attic  window 
immediately  afterward  and  saw  fires  bursting  forth  from 
houses  along  the  path  of  the  storm.  I  could  see  five  fires 
burning  at  once.  The  flames  made  a  ghastly  sight  as  they 
illuminated  acres  of  razed  buildings  nearby." 

FREAK   TRAGEDIES 

Among  the  freak  tragedies  of  the  tornado  none  is  more 
remarkable  than  that  at  the  I  die  wild  pool  hall,  Twenty- 
fourth  and  Lake  Streets.  Twenty-five  negroes  were  killed. 
The  story  is  told  by  the  single  survivor,  John  Brown,  who 
was  dug  from  the  wreckage  twelve  hours  after  the  demoli- 
tion of  the  building. 

" Eight  men  were  playing  pool  at  one  table,"  Brown  says. 
"The  rest  of  us  were  standing  about  watching.  Without 
a  moment's  warning  a  terrific  roar  swept  down  through  the 
room.  The  roof  suddenly  was  lifted  from  above.  The  pool 
table  shot  straight  upward,  many  feet  into  the  air. 

"All  of  us  still  were  unhurt." 

Insane  with  fear,  but  wondering,  the  negroes  rushed  be- 

14 


210     DEATH-DEALING   TORNADO  AT   OMAHA 

neath  the  open  roof  and  gazed  upward.  Then  the  heavy 
pool  table  and  pieces  of  the  roof  shot  down.  All  were  caught. 
Brown  was  dug  from  the  wreckage  twelve  hours  later, 
uninjured. 

HOUSE    SPLIT   ASUNDER 

Huddled  with  his  family  in  the  basement  of  his  home 
at  3229  Cuming  Street,  Prof.  E.  W.  Hunt  saw  the  house 
split  asunder.  When  he  recovered  consciousness  beneath 
the  wreckage  he  discovered  that  a  last  summer  straw  hat 
was  cocked  on  the  back  of  his  head.  It  had  been  hanging 
in  a  bedroom  closet  three  stories  above  before  the  tornado 
struck  the  house. 

The  body  of  a  girl  about  four  was  dropped  into  the  arms 
of  a  pedestrian,  Charles  Allen,  at  Forty-fifth  and  Center 
Streets.     Efforts  to  identify  the  child  failed. 

In  a  field  half  a  mile  from  their  home  were  found  the 
bodies  of  Mrs.  Mary  Rathkey  and  her  two  grown  sons,  Frank 
and  James.  All  three  were  dead  but  no  bruises  were  found. 
The  wind  had  cut  their  clothing  completely  away. 

Mrs.  F.  Bryant,  ninety-two,  lived  with  her  son,  Dr.  D.  C. 
Bryant,  at  3006  Sherman  Avenue.  She  was  in  bed  on 
the  third  floor  of  the  house  when  the  tornado  struck.  The 
three  floors  beneath  her  were  shifted  out  and  her  bed  fell 
to  the  basement.  Except  for  the  shock  she  was  uninjured. 
Dr.  Bryant  and  his  wife  were  dropped  to  the  basement 
from  the  ground  floor.  They,  too,  miraculously  escaped 
injury. 


DEATH-DEALING  TORNADO  AT  OMAHA    211 

VIVID   TALl     OF   THE    STORM 

Perhaps  the  most  vivid  single  description  of  the  tornado's 
havoc  was  given  by  John  Porter: 

"I  stood  on  the  rear  porch  of  my  home  when  the  great 
cloud  of  the  storm  began  its  race  across  the  city,"  he  said. 
"Before  it  rushed  the  traditional  'ball  of  fire/  which  was 
in  reality  a  yellow  cloud,  spherical  in  shape. 

"My  wife  was  visiting  at  the  moment  in  the  home  of  her 
father.  I  saw  the  house  caught  in  the  vortex  of  the  cloud. 
It  rose  straight  up  into  the  air,  its  walls  shattered  and 
broken,  but  holding  partially  together.  I  am  sure  that  I 
could  not  have  moved  an  eyelash,  if  my  life  had  depended 
upon  the  exertion. 

"From  the  risen  house  I  saw  a  myriad  of  black  specks 
falling  to  the  earth.  Then  I  watched  that  home  soar  up- 
ward. It  hurtled  five  blocks  through  the  murky  twilight, 
sustained  at  a  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

"The  Sacred  Heart  Convent  was  the  target  at  which  it 
was  hurled.  It  struck  the  fifth  story.  The  convent  was 
demolished.     The  home  of  my  father-in-law  became  splinters. 

"Then  I  recovered  my  senses  partially,  and  ran  to  the  site 
of  the  structure.  God  himself  must  have  directed  that 
storm,  for  my  wife,  her  father  and  her  mother  had  been 
dropped  behind,  only  bruised." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Struggles  of  Stricken  Omaha 

a  blizzard-like  storm — counting  the  cost — "the  great- 
est conceivable  blow" — searching  for  the  dead — a 
day  of  funerals — more  cases  of  destitution — plans 
for  rebuilding. 

Ik  S  if    the   storm  of    Easter   Sunday  were    not    enough 

/-\      calamity,  a  blizzard-like  storm  descended  upon  the 

city  of  Omaha  on  Tuesday,  adding  to  the  grief  and 

horror.      The   storm,   which  began   shortly  after  midnight, 

and  continued  with  gathering  force,  seriously  hampered  the 

work  of  rescue.     More  than  three  inches  of  snow  covered  the 

debris  in  the  section  of  the  city  struck  by  the  cyclone.     It 

rendered  uninhabitable  the  houses  of  many  who  had  prepared 

to  retain  temporary  homes  in  partly  demolished  structures. 

Women  tugging  at  heavy  beams,  hoping  against  hope  to 

find  dear  ones  beneath  the  wreckage,  men  gruffly  cheering 

their  sorrowful  mates,  sniveling  children  wrapped  about  with 

shawls  and  blankets  were  the  scenes  which  the  sunrise  this 

morning  disclosed  to  the  federal  soldiers  as  they  patrolled  the 

afflicted  district. 

Later,  city  officials  gathered  within  the  lines  drawn  around 

(212) 


STRUGGLES   OF  STRICKEN   OMAHA         213 

the  district  by  the  soldiers  and  distributed  clothing  and  other 
necessities  among  the  sufferers  who  had  been  rendered  home- 
less by  the  tornado. 

COUNTING   THE    COST 

For  the  first  time  the  people  began  to  count  the  cost  in 
lives  and  dollars.  When  a  resume  was  made  it  was  apparently 
more  appalling  than  those  who  had  studied  the  result  were 
willing  to  admit. 

One  hundred  and  fifty-four  lives  were  snuffed  out  within 
the  city  proper.  Nearly  five  hundred  were  injured  and  eight 
of  these  died  in  local  hospitals  during  the  day. 

All  Omaha  rallied  to  the  assistance  of  the  desolate  victims  of 
the  tornado.  Hundreds  of  citizens  responded  promptly  by  of- 
fering their  homes  and  money  to  aid  in  caring  for  the  stricken. 

The  City  Commissioners  appropriated  $75,000  for  relief 
work,  and  citizens  at  once  subscribed  to  an  equal  amount. 
Governor  Morehead  sent  a  special  message  to  the  Legislature 
asking  for  an  appropriation  to  care  for  the  homeless  through- 
out the  state. 

"the  greatest  conceivable  blow" 

After  making  an  inspection  of  the  devastated  district,  the 
Governor  said : 

"This  is  my  conception  of  hell.  It  is  horrible,  and  it  has 
presented  a  most  complex  situation.  The  loss  of  life  and 
damage  to  property  is  the  greatest  conceivable  blow,  not 
only  to  Omaha,  but  to  the  entire  state  of  Nebraska.     I  will 


214  STRUGGLES   OF  STRICKEN*  OMAHA 

call  upon  the  state  of  Nebraska  to  render  every   assistance 
and  I  am  sure  the  state  will  respond. 

"My  horror  and  grief  are  beyond  my  powers  of  expression." 

SEARCHING   FOR   THE   DEAD 

Groups  of  men,  aided  and  encouraged  by  women  and  chil- 
dren, labored  incessantly  all  day  Tuesday  among  the  ruins  of 
homes  and  other  buildings.  Only  portions  of  the  ruins  of 
some  buildings  within  which  persons  were  known  to  have 
been  killed  were  removed.  As  quickly  as  bodies  were  found 
they  were  taken  to  temporary  morgues.  Relatives  claimed 
most  of  the  bodies,  but  some  remained  unidentified.  Funerals 
and  burials  were  held  from  all  churches  and  homes.  Ceme- 
teries were  thronged  with  grieving  friends  and  relatives. 

MILITARY   LAW 

Military  law  was  strictly  enforced  throughout  the  storm 
area.  Upon  the  soldiers  rested  the  responsibility  for  looting 
and  fires.  The  city  Health  Department  made  every  effort  to 
place  the  district  in  a  sanitary  condition  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
Garbage  wagons  and  trash  carts  were  the  only  vehicles  admit- 
ted within  the  patrolled  section.  The  water  supply  fortunately 
remained  unimpaired. 

A    DAY   OF   FUNERALS 

Another  period  of  unseasonable  cold  followed  Tuesday's 
snowstorm  and  increased  the  already  long  list  of  sufferers 
from  the  storm. 


STRUGGLES  OF  STRICKEN  OMAHA  215 

Paying  last  rites  occupied  the  time  of  thousands  of  persons 
on  Wednesday.  Fifty-two  funerals  silently  wending  their 
way  to  cemeteries  brought  home  with  greater  force  to  the 
people  of  Omaha  the  full  realization  of  the  extent  of  Sun- 
day's tornado.  All  day  long,  as  fast  as  hearses  could 
deposit  the  bodies  at  graves,  a  continual  death  procession  was 
kept  up. 

Many  of  the  bodies  recovered  from  Sunday's  storm  were 
cared  for  at  undertaking  establishments,  and  a  great  number 
of  the  funerals  were  held  from  those  places.  Whenever 
possible  friends  of  stricken  families  took  care  of  bodies  and 
had  them  prepared  for  burial.  In  many  instances  churches 
were  demolished  in  the  districts  covered  by  the  storm  and 
others  were  so  badly  wrecked  as  to  prevent  their  being  used 
for  burial  services. 

LITTLE    CEREMONY 

There  was  little  ceremony.  As  quickly  as  one  funeral  was 
over  another  began.  Undertakers  co-operated  in  arranging 
burials.  In  several  instances  where  entire  families  were 
killed  or  where  more  than  one  member  of  a  family  awaited 
burial  one  funeral  service  was  held.  The  funerals  were  a 
constant  procession. 

One  of  the  most  pitiful  of  the  funerals  was  that  of  Mrs. 
Mary  Rathkey  and  two  small  children.  Surviving  Mrs. 
Rathkey  is  the  husband  and  father,  who  is  nearly  demented 
over  the  disaster.  Mrs.  Rathkey  and  her  children  were 
killed  in  their  heme. 


216  STRUGGLES  OF  STRICKEN  OMAHA 

MORE    CASES   OF   DESTITUTION 

Many  cases  of  destitution  were  reported  on  Wednesday. 
It  took  much  time  to  prepare  card  indexes  of  sufferers'  wants 
and  to  make  requisitions  on  the  central  relief  station  at  the 
Auditorium  for  supplies.  While  these  formalities  were  being 
carried  out  want  stalked  through  disconsolate  homes  from  one 
corner  of  the  city  to  the  other.  The  task  of  caring  for  those 
needing  food,  clothing,  supplies  and  money  seemed  to  be  too 
large  for  the  relief  forces. 

PLANS   FOR   REBUILDING 

As  early  as  Tuesday  plans  for  rebuilding  the  city  were 
under  way.  The  business  men  formed  a  corporation  to  con- 
duct the  undertaking  in  a  systematic  way,  and  to  assist  the 
unfortunates  who  lost  their  homes  and  personal  effects. 

The  Real  Estate  Exchange  immediately  took  steps  to  pre- 
vent the  raising  of  rents.  Cases  of  alleged  attempted  extor- 
tion, however,  were  reported,  some  of  them  by  members  of 
the  Exchange  itself.  Executives  of  that  body  decided  to  deal 
harshly  with  any  owners  found  taking  advantage  of  those 
forced  to  secure  new  homes  on  account  of  the  tornado. 

A  public  appeal  sent  out  by  the  Commercial  Club  stated 
that  642  homes  were  totally  wrecked,  1,669  were  damaged  and 
3,179  persons  made  homeless.  There  was  need  of  recon- 
struction, indeed! 


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CHAPTER  XIX 

Omaha:  "The  Gate  City  of  the  West" 

largest  city  in  nebraska — gate  to  the  west — growth 
of  industries — splendid  institutions — a  prosperous 
city — remarkable  activity. 

OMAHA,  "the  Gate  City,"  largest  in  Nebraska,  is 
a  typical  plains  town,  proud  of  its  industry  and  its 
climb  on  the  census  list.  It  stands  eighty  feet 
above  the  Missouri  on  the  west  bank  of  that  river  opposite 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  For  twenty-four  square  miles  stretch 
its  many  churches,  educational  institutions  and  large  manu- 
facturing plants,  with  the  pleasant  residential  section  lying 
above. 

On  the  site  of  the  present  city  Lewis  and  Clark  in  1804 
held  council  with  the  Indians.  There  were  a  trading  station 
and  stockade  at  the  place  in  1825  presided  over  by  pioneer 
J.  B.  Royce.  The  first  permanent  settlement  was  made 
there  in  1854.  A  tribe  of  Dakota  Indians  that  lived  in  the 
region  gave  the  city  its  name. 

When  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  was  stretching  steel 
hands  westward  in  1864  Omaha  was  the  most  northerly 
outfitting  point  for  overland  wagon  trains  to  the  far  West. 

(217) 


218  "THE   GATE   CITY  OF  THE   WEST" 

At  that  time  it  took  its  name  of  "Gate  City"  and  then  its 
sudden  growth  began.     In  1910  the  population  was  124,000. 

GROWTH   OF   INDUSTRIES 

Because  of  its  location  it  soon  began  to  draw  industries. 
Packing  is  one  of  its  leading  industries  today.  So  extensive 
is  this  business  that  Omaha  ranks  third  among  cities  of  the 
United  States  in  packing.  Silver  smelting,  distilling  and 
brewing  are  some  of  the  other  pursuits  that  keep  its  citizens 
busy. 

SPLENDID    INSTITUTIONS 

Among  the  more  important  buildings  are  the  Federal 
Building,  Court  House,  a  city  hall,  two  high  schools,  one  of 
which  is  among  the  finest  in  the  country,  a  convention  hall, 
the  Auditorium  and  the  Public  Library.  Omaha  is  the  see 
of  Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant  Episcopal  bishoprics. 
Among  the  educational  institutions  are  a  state  school  for 
the  deaf;  the  medical  department  and  orthopedic  branch  of 
the  University  of  Nebraska;  a  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary;  and  Creighton  University  under  Jesuit  control. 
The  principal  newspapers  are  the  Omaha  Bee,  World-Herald 
and  the  News.  The  Omaha  Bee  was  established  in  1871 
by  Edward  Rosewater,  wrho  made  it  one  of  the  most  influ- 
ential Republican  journals  in  the  West.  The  World- 
Herald,  founded  in  1865  by  George  L.  Miller,  was  edited 
by  William  Jennings  Bryan  from  1894  to  1896. 

Omaha  is  the  headquarters  of  the  United  States  military 
department  of  the  Missouri,   and  there  are  military  posts 


"THE  GATE  CITY  OF  THE  WEST"  219 

at  Fort  Omaha,  immediately  north,  and  Fort  Crook,  ten 
miles  south  of  the  city. 

REMARKABLE   ACTIVITY 

Prairie  freighting  and  Missouri  river  navigation,  were  of 
importance  before  the  construction  of  the  Union  Pacifi.1 
railway,  and  the  activity  of  the  city  in  securing  the  freight- 
ing interest  gave  her  an  initial  start  over  the  other  cities  of 
the  state.  Council  Bluffs  was  the  legal,  but  Omaha  the 
practical,  eastern  terminus  of  that  great  undertaking,  work 
on  which  began  at  Omaha  in  December,  1863.  The  city  was 
already  connected  as  early  as  1863  by  telegraph  with  Chicago, 
St.  Louis,  and  since  1861  with  San  Francisco.  Lines  of  the 
present  great  Rock  Island,  Burlington  and  Northwestern 
railway  systems  all  entered  the  city  in  the  years  1867-1868. 
Meat-packing  began  as  early  as  1871,  but  its  first  great 
advance  followed  the  removal  of  the  Union  stock-yards  south 
of  the  city  in  1884.  South  Omaha  was  rapidly  built  up 
around  them.  A  Trans-Mississippi  Exposition  illustrating 
the  progress  and  resources  of  the  states  west  of  the  Mississippi 
was  held  at  Omaha  in  1898.  It  represented  an  investment 
of  $2,000,000,  and  in  spite  of  financial  depression  and  war- 
time, ninety  per  cent  of  their  subscriptions  were  returned 
in  dividends  to  the  stockholders. 

The  original  town  site  occupied  an  elongated  and  elevated 
river  terrace,  now  given  over  wholly  to  business;  behind  this 
are  hills  and  bluffs,  over  which  the  residential  districts  have 
extended. 


CHAPTER  XX 

Other  Damage  from  the  Nebraska  Tornado 

great  havoc  in  nebraska  towns — description  of  the 
tornado — yutan  a  sufferer — the  tumbling  houses  of 
benson — curious   tragedies — houses  tumbling  about. 

THE  storm  which  lashed  its  way  through  Omaha  on 
Easter  Sunday  had  already  carried  havoc  into  other 
Nebraska  towns.  William  Coon,  president  of  an 
automobile  company  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  gave  a  stirring 
description  of  the  tornado  as  he  saw  it  from  the  platform 
of  an  observation  car  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 
Railroad : 

DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    TORNADO 

"For  miles/'  he  said,  "it  seemed  as  if  the  train  were  being 
pursued  by  the  storm.  We  were  approaching  Ralston,  Neb., 
when  I  first  noticed  the  strange  cloud  mounting  the  sky. 
Before  that  it  had  been  clear." 

Mr.  Coon,  from  his  observation  car  seat,  saw  the  storm 
strike  Ralston.  'The  passengers  sat  as  if  glued  to  their  seats 
when  the  cloud  struck,"  he  said. 

"The  engineer  brought  the  engine  to  a  stop  and  the  passen- 

(220) 


OTHER  DAMAGE   IN  NEBRASKA  221 

gers  ran  over  to  the  wreckage  of  the  houses.  We  could  hear 
the  groans  of  dying  men  and  the  wails  and  shrieks  of  injured 
women  and  children.  I  entered  a  house,  or  rather  what  had 
been  a  house,  and  beneath  me  lay  a  woman.  I  looked  and 
I  knew  that  she  was  dead.  We  got  all  of  the  injured  out  of 
the  ruins  and  brought  them  to  the  train. 

"We  were  about  to  leave  when  our  attention  was  called 
to  a  little  house  some  distance  from  the  others.  It  had  been 
wrecked  and  moved  from  its  foundation,  but  we  found  a 
mother  and  her  little  baby  lying  upon  a  bed  uninjured. 

"The  cloud  wheeled  and  made  towards  South  Omaha. 
We  were  not  far  behind,  but  our  way  was  blocked  by  the 
debris  the  tornado  had  thrown  on  the  tracks.  Then,  too,  we 
stopped  frequently  to  pick  up  the  injured.  There  were  some 
with  their  limbs  torn  off  and  all  were  cut  and  bleeding." 

A  Chicagoan,  who  withheld  his  name,  told  of  the  scenes 
at  Omaha  when  the  train  stopped  there.     He  said: 

"I  was  just  recovering  from  what  I  had  seen  on  the  train 
when  we  pulled  into  Omaha  with  the  injured.  It  was  night 
then,  but  such  a  night.  The  sky  was  lighted  with  a  red  glare, 
and  the  streets  were  filled  with  people  who  acted  as  though 
they  were  mad.  Frequently  the  cries  of  the  wounded, 
unloaded  at  the  station,  were  drowned  by  terrific  peals  of 
thunder." 

It  is  difficult  for  any  one  who  has  not  lived  through  a  tor- 
nado to  have  any  conception  of  what  such  a  storm  can  do. 
Tornadic  force  means  anything  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
an  hour.     There  have  been  instances  where  tornadoes  have 


222  OTHER  DAMAGE   IN  NEBRASKA 

shaved  off  the  stone  sides  of  buildings  as  if  they  had  been 
sliced  away  by  a  stonecutter.  Forecaster  Scarr,  of  New 
York,  said  that  the  tornado  that  wrought  destruction  in 
Nebraska  may  have  been  of  the  resistless  kind  that  simply 
ground  stone  and  brick  to  dust  and  carried  up  its  electrified 
funnel  the  remnants  of  every  building  it  struck.  The  tornado 
finally  became  almost  like  a  mass  of  whirling  steel,  revolving 
faster  than  the  blades  of  the  swiftest  planer  and  cutting 
everything  to  pieces  in  its  course. 

YUTAN   A   SUFFERER 

The  tornado  first  struck  the  little  village  of  Yutan,  south- 
west of  Omaha.  Yutan  was  practically  wiped  off  the  map 
and  its  population  of  four  hundred  left  desolate.  After  the 
buildings  had  been  razed  the  wreckage  caught  fire.  "The 
town  is  burning!  We'll  all  be  killed!"  some  kept  crying,  and 
this  added  to  the  fears  of  the  others.  Many  persons  were 
killed  and  many  injured.  Waterloo,  a  village  of  about  equal 
size  to  the  northeast  across  the  Platte  River,  suffered  like  dam- 
age. Wires  were  snapped  off  in  all  directions,  and  it  took 
many  hours  to  gather  and  circulate  news  of  the  disaster. 

Leaving  desolation  behind  it  the  tornado  swept  at  a  rate 
of  possibly  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  an  hour  into  Berlin. 
This  little  village  had  a  population  of  about  two  hundred. 
The  storm  killed  seven  and  injured  thirty.  The  habitations 
were  virtually  wiped  out.  A  church,  an  elevator  and  part  of 
the  residence  of  State  Senator  Buck  were  all  that  remained 
standing  of  what  was  a  prosperous  town. 


OTHER  DAMAGE   IN  NEBRASKA  223 

THE   TUMBLING   HOUSES   OF   BENSON 

On  its  way  to  Oamaha  the  tornado  struck  Benson  and 
Yutan.  Benson  is  a  thriving  town  of  over  three  thousand. 
Here  property  damage  was  great  and  many  persons  were 
injured.  As  the  houses  began  to  tumble  a  little  girl  dressed 
in  white  started  from  one  of  the  houses  and  ran  down  the 
street  with  her  hands  above  her  head.  Just  then  the  side  of  a 
house  came  soaring  through  the  air,  and  shooting  suddenly 
downward  it  struck  the  child  and  buried  her  beneath  it. 
When  the  storm  had  passed,  the  injured  were  lying  all  about 
the  streets. 

At  Ralston,  a  suburb  of  Omaha,  many  were  killed  and 
much  injury  and  destruction  left  in  the  path  of  the  tornado. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  a  copper-colored  cloud  was  seen  mount- 
ing toward  the  sky.  The  cloud  grew  rapidly  and  was  travel- 
ing at  tremendous  speed.  It  assumed  the  form  of  a  funnel 
and  the  air  was  filled  with  a  curious,  piercing  noise.  It  swished 
across  the  railroad  track  and  swept  on  its  way  toward  the 
little  town. 

Then  the  storm  struck  the  town.  Houses  collapsed  as 
though  they  were  of  paper.  The  roofs  went  sailing  away  and 
the  sides  fell  in.  Passengers  in  a  passing  train  watched  the 
destruction,  and  a  cry  of  horror  went  up  from  every  one. 
It  was  an  awful  sight. 

A  farmer  was  standing  on  the  doorstep  when  he  noticed  the 
funnel-shaped  cloud.  He  called  his  wife  and  four  children, 
and  they  all  sought  refuge  in  a  cyclone  cellar.  Five  minutes 
later  their  house  went  sailing  away. 


224  OTHER  DAMAGE   IN   NEBRASKA 

CURIOUS   TRAGEDIES 

Edward  Mote,  his  wife  and  three  children  were  sitting  in 
their  home  chatting  when  the  tornado  suddenly  carried  them 
and  their  home  to  Paio  Creek,  one  hundred  yards  away,  and 
dropped  them  into  the  water.     Mrs.  Mote  was  drowned. 

Postmaster  D.  L.  Ham,  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Kimball,  and 
his  grandchildren  were  standing  in  the  doorway  of  their  home 
when  the  wind  struck.  Mrs.  Kimball  and  her  two-year-old 
daughter  Frances  stepped  outside  the  door,  which  slammed 
shut.  Their  bodies  were  found  among  the  debris.  H.  E. 
Said  and  wife,  bride  and  bridegroom  of  a  month,  were  in  the 
Ham  house.  Warned  of  approaching  death  by  Mr.  Ham, 
they  sought  solace  in  each  other's  arms.  Thus  they  were 
found  dead.     Mr.  Ham  was  slightly  injured. 

HOUSES   TUMBLING   ABOUT 

There  was  a  big  threshing  machine  standing  near  one  of 
the  houses,  and  when  the  cloud  struck  it  shot  straight  up  into 
the  air  and  was  carried  about  forty  rods.  Houses  were  roll- 
ing and  tumbling  along  the  ground.  A  box  car  was  carried 
along  by  the  terrific  air  current  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  When 
it  split  open  six  or  seven  men,  who  turned  out  to  be  part  of  a 
repair  gang,  dropped  out.  Some  lay  very  still,  while  others 
feebly  crawled  about. 

A  dozen  other  towns  in  the  section  of  Nebraska  surrounding 
Omaha  were  hard  hit  and  many  farming  communities  were 
destroyed. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

The  Tornado  in  Iowa  and  Illinois 

monster  tornado  sweeps  across  river — destruction 
in  iowa — the  storm-cloud  over  illinois — gale  and 
fire  in  chicago. 

^HE  monster  tornado  that  wrought  such  havoc  in 
Omaha  leaped  across  the  Missouri  River  and  swished 
its  wicked  tail  through   Council   Bluffs.      Then   it 

sped  northeasterly,  wrecking  several  villages  before  it  finally 

disappeared. 

DESTRUCTION    IN    IOWA 

Reports  from  Mills  County  stated  that  it  caused  loss  of  life 
in  every  town  in  the  county  reached  by  telephone.  Many 
deaths  occurred  at  Glenwood  and  at  Council  Bluffs.  Scatter- 
ing towns  all  through  the  district  reported  one  to  two  deaths. 

Eastern  Council  Bluffs  suffered  heavily,  the  storm  break- 
ing in  the  valley  just  east  of  the  town  proper  and  following 
the  lines  of  the  Milwaukee,  Rock  Island  and  Great  Western 
railroads  for  a  distance  of  a  mile. 

The  storm,  which  was  accompanied  by  hail,  rain,  sleet, 
lightning  and  a  gale  which  blew  seventy  miles  an  hour  for 

13  (225) 


226  TORNADO  IN  IOWA  AND  ILLINOIS 

a  time,  was  felt  most  severely  in  the  northwestern  section  of 
the  city,  where  houses  were  overturned,  windows  broken, 
trees  uprooted  and  electric  light  and  trolley  poles  blown  to 
the  ground.  Nearly  fifty  small  fires  resulted  and  hundreds 
of  men,  women  and  children  fled  from  their  homes  in  terror. 
Considerable  damage  was  done  to  Des  Plaines,  Park  Ridge 
and  other  suburbs.  The  property  damage  in  the  city  and 
suburbs  was  estimated  at  more  than  $500,000. 

THE    STORM-CLOUD    OVER   ILLINOIS 

Illinois  also  suffered  severely  from  a  tornado  on  the  night  of 
Easter,  March  23d,  and  the  following  morning.  The  storm 
was  less  severe  than  that  which  struck  Omaha,  but  the  wind 
was  blowing  at  a  rate  of  seventy  miles  an  hour  for  a  time, 
and  in  Chicago  alone  thirty-two  structures  were  damaged 
and  a  number  of  persons  killed.  Out  in  the  state  the  heaviest 
suffering  was  at  Rockford,  Elgin,  Wheaton,  Bloomington, 
Galesburg,  Peoria,  Erie  and  Desplaines.  The  aggregate  loss 
in  other  communities  was  great. 

The  storm  covered  all  of  Illinois  north  of  Peoria.  In  Gales- 
burg many  buildings  were  moved  from  their  foundations. 
Half  a  dozen  residences  in  Peoria  were  demolished.  All 
streams  rose  high  and  costly  floods  occurred  along  the  Kanka- 
kee, Illinois  and  other  rivers. 

GALE   AND   FIRE    IN    CHICAGO 

In  Chicago  all  the  elements  seemed  to  meet  Sunday  night. 
The  wind  blew  a  violent  gale;    snow  flew  before  it  in  some 


TORNADO   IN   IOWA  AND  ILLINOIS         227 

places;  hail  crashed  windows  in  other  parts  of  the  city. 
Every  available  fire  apparatus  in  the  north  and  west  sides  of 
the  city  was  called  out  to  extinguish  fires  which  broke  out 
in  business  blocks  and  dwellings  partly  wrecked  by  the  storm. 

A  number  of  lives  throughout  the  state  were  lost  by  this 
storm  and  the  property  loss  was  estimated  at  $2,500,000. 

A  second  storm  on  Monday  caused  great  destruction  in 
Mahanda.  Thirty  cars  of  a  southbound  Illinois  Central 
freight  train  were  blown  from  the  track  a  mile  north  of  the 
town.     Two  firemen  were  injured. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

The  Tornado  in  Kansas  and  Arkansas 

the  " blowout"  in  kansas — damage  to  crops  and  soil — 
dust  storm  comes  suddenly — tornado  in  arkansas. 

FOLLOWING  a  heavy  downpour  of  rain  on  Easter 
Sunday  night  the  atmosphere  at  Topeka,  Kansas, 
was  filled  with  dust  until  it  had  the  appearance  of  a 
heavy  fog.  The  dust  came  from  the  western  part  of  the 
state  where  severe  dust  storms  prevailed. 

In  western  Kansas  the  "blowout"  has  been  as  great  a 
source  of  damage  to  the  wheat  fields  as  the  drought  or  chinch 
bugs  or  hot  winds.  In  the  event  of  a  drought  there  is  always 
some  hope  of  rain;  with  the  hot  winds  there  is  hope  of  a 
cool  spell;  while  the  ravages  of  the  chinch  bugs  may  be  checked 
in  two  or  three  ways. 

With  the  "blowout"  there  absolutely  is  no  hope  left,  and 
not  only  is  the  wheat  crop  gone  for  good,  but  the  ground 
sometimes  is  left  in  bad  condition.  The  "blowout"  is  little 
understood  by  any  one  except  the  person  who  has  witnessed 
a  dust  storm.  Several  years  ago  the  "blowout"  was  much 
more  common  than  now,  although  there  is  some  damage 
in  western  counties  every  year  from  this  source. 

(228) 


THE  TORNADO  IN  KANSAS  AND  ARKANSAS  229 

DAMAGE   TO    CROPS   AND    SOIL 

The  damage  comes  not  only  to  the  fields  that  have  been 
blown  out,  but  the  adjoining  fields,  on  to  which  the  "drifting 
soil"  has  blown  in  great  clouds  and  settled,  have  suffered 
likewise,  and  whole  pastures  have  been  known  to  be  destroyed 
by  the  same  means.  For  several  years  the  farmers  have  been 
working  night  and  day  to  devise  some  method  to  prevent  the 
damage  from  "drifting  soil,"  or  "blowouts,"  as  they  are  more 
commonly  known. 

Senator  Malone  has  introduced  in  the  Kansas  Legislature  a 
bill  providing  that  the  county  commissioners  of  any  county 
where  a  "blowout"  has  commenced  may  call  in  agricultural 
experts  and  devise  ways  of  stopping  the  drifting.  The  farmers 
of  Thomas  County  held  a  meeting  in  Colby  recently  to  discuss 
the  situation  and  if  possible  arrive  at  some  means  by  which 
the  drifting  of  soil  might  be  stopped  from  destroying  the  crops. 

These  farmers  reported  that  a  strip  of  land  between  Colby 
and  Rexford,  about  fifteen  miles  long  and  five  miles  wide, 
was  blown  out  last  season  and  in  that  territory  not  a 
single  root  of  vegetation  remained,  and  the  top  of  the  ground 
was  as  hard  as  the  pavement  on  any  street  in  Kansas  City.  The 
ground  as  far  down  as  the  plough  went  was  completely 
blown  away.  When  these  fields  were  blown  out  the  wheat 
was  several  inches  high  and  before  the  wind  came  up  the 
prospects  were  bright  for  a  good  crop.  It  took  but  a  few 
hours  for  the  wind  to  complete  its  work  of  destruction.  The 
little  town  of  Gem  sits  in  about  the  center  of  the  devastated 
land. 


230   THE  TORNADO  IN  KANSAS  AND  ARKANSAS 

DUST   STORM    COMES   SUDDENLY 

A  dust  storm  is  not  only  unfortunate,  but  it  is  unpleasant 
in  the  extreme.  It  comes  up  sometimes  very  suddenly. 
The  sun  may  be  shining  and  not  a  cloud  in  sight.  In  less 
than  five  minutes  the  sun  will  be  obscured  from  view  and  the 
air  filled  with  dust,  sand,  gravel,  sticks  and  other  debris. 

Besides  suffering  from  a  dust  storm,  Kansas  was  stricken 
by  floods  due  to  heavy  rain  in  some  parts  of  the  state.  Hail 
and  lightning  accompanied  the  rain  and  did  much  damage. 

TORNADO   IN   ARKANSAS 

A  tornado  on  Monday  night,  March  24  th,  eight  miles 
southwest  of  Leslie,  Arkansas,  killed  Mrs.  John  Couders  and 
seriously  injured  John  Couders  and  his  son  William,  and 
James  Trieste,  his  wife  and  three  children. 

A  tornado  that  passed  over  Clarksville,  Arkansas,  on  Tues- 
day, kiUed  Miss  Ida  Brazell  and  blew  down  many  houses. 
At  Rumeley  five  were  killed  and  several  injured.  Couriers 
immediately  sought  aid,  carrying  news  of  great  suffering  in 
the  mountains. 

Their  tales  were  heart-moving.  Lack  of  insurance,  lack  of 
funds  and  lack  of  knowledge  of  what  to  do  when  overtaken  by 
calamity  made  the  situation  in  small  towns  and  in  out-of- 
the-way  places  more  pathetic  than  that  of  the  unhappy  home- 
less in  some  of  the  large  cities  affected  by  the  tornado  or  the 
flood.  To  the  latter  relief  was  immediately  sent — from 
neighboring  places,  from  the  whole  country.  The  others, 
suffering  no  less,  did  not  always  even  succeed  in  being  heard. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

The  Tornado  in  Indiana 

the  brunt  of  the  storm — many  buried  under  wreckage 
— sleepers  hurled  from  beds — freaks  of  the  storm- 
injured  carried  to  hospitals — acute  suffering — 
rescue  work — national  guard  on  duty — town  of 
perth  laid  waste. 

^HE  record  of  disaster  by  tornado  was  greater  in 
Terre  Haute  than  in  any  other  place  except  Omaha. 
For  two  weeks  before  Easter  a  dense  atmosphere 
hung  over  the  city,  which  occasional  heavy  rainfalls  did 
not  clear.  Then  suddenly  on  Sunday  night,  about  ten 
o'clock,  the  lightning  flashed  and  loud  peals  of  thunder 
followed. 

The  tornado  seemed  to  spring  out  of  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  city  as  if  it  came  from  the  swollen  waters  of  the 
Wabash  River.  It  first  smashed  into  Gardentown,  a  suburb 
of  the  city,  where  a  great  many  working  people  live,  and 
every  building  in  its  path  crumpled  down  before  it.  The 
lightning  sped  over  building  after  building,  setting  many  of 
them  on  fire.  Parts  of  the  Root  Glass  Company's  plant 
were  flattened.     The  end  of  the  foundry  room  of  the  Gart- 

(231) 


232  THE   TORNADO   IN    INDIANA 

land    Factory,    a    solid   brick  wall    eight  inches  thick,   was 
caved  in.     Brick  and  stone  structures  suffered  alike. 

MANY   BURIED    UNDER   WRECKAGE 

In  the  streets  were  tangled  masses  of  twisted  electric  wires 
spluttering  out  warnings  of  death  for  those  who,  careless 
of  the  first  alarm,  had  rushed  in  to  rescue  those  who  had 
been  buried  under  roofs  and  walls.  Policemen,  firemen  and 
a  host  of  volunteers  struggled  through  the  debris,  side- 
stepping the  five  wires  that  had  been  torn  from  their 
fastenings. 

The  heavy  downpour  of  rain  extinguished  many  fires,  and 
the  city  of  Terre  Haute  was  thereby  saved  from  destruction 
by  fire.  The  large  Greenwood  public  school  was  shattered 
and  torn.  The  tornado,  like  a  huge  auger,  bored  into  the 
roof  and  tore  the  shingles  and  rafters  away  and  every  win- 
dow was  hurled  from  its  casing.  This  building  was  later 
converted  into  a  hospital  and  morgue. 

SLEEPERS   HURLED    FROM    BEDS 

In  many  instances  death  came  to  those  who  were  asleep 
in  their  beds  when  their  homes  collapsed  about  them.  In 
other  cases  the  bodies  were  picked  up  as  if  by  giant  hands 
and  hurled  either  to  death  or  to  terrible  injury.  Some  were 
thrown  more  than  a  hundred  feet. 

Above  the  roar  of  the  wind  and  the  rattle  of  the  rain 
could  be  heard  the  screams  of  frantic  women  and  children. 
The  scenes  were  pitiful.     Men  and  women  were  looking  for 


THE   TORNADO   IN  INDIANA 


233 


loved  ones,  and  when  a  torn  and  mangled  form  was  taken 
from  the  debris,  a  woman's  shriek  would  tell  the  story  of  a 
lost  one  found. 

Charles  Chadwiek,  a  six-year-old  boy,  owed  his  escape  to 


# 


THE  REAPER 

the  fact  that  he  left  home,  in  the  absence  of  his  parents, 
to  go  to  a  moving-picture  show.  He  was  found  walking 
along  South  Fifth  Street  after  the  storm,  but  his  home  could 
not  be  found  as  it  has  been  blown  away. 

Seven  houses  owned  by  Fred  Housman,  including  the  one 


234  THE  TORNADO  IN  INDIANA 

he  lived  in,  on  the  Lockport  road,  were  swept  away  com- 
pletely.    Five  wrecked  autos  were  found  on  that  road. 

Between  Hulman  and  Voorhees  Streets,  in  South  Eighth, 
there  was  complete  devastation.  Twenty-five  houses  were 
leveled  to  the  ground  in  this  stretch. 

On  the  Lockport  road,  south  of  Idaho,  at  least  sixteen 
houses  were  destroyed,  but  there  were  no  fatalities  and  few 
were  injured  in  this  immediate  neighborhood. 

MOTHER   AND    CHILD    SWEPT  AWAY 

Mrs.  Flora  Wood  was  hurled  seven  feet  from  her  home, 
her  small  baby  clasped  in  her  arms.  They  were  cared  for 
at  the  Third  United  Brethren  Church. 

The  day-old  baby  of  Mrs.  Leonard  Sloan  was  foimd  in  one 
corner  of  the  bedroom  of  their  home,  while  the  mother  lay 
in  another  corner.  The  entire  top  of  the  house  had  been 
blown  away. 

William  Rogers,  Superintendent  of  the  United  Brethren 
Sunday-school,  was  buried  beneath  the  walls  of  his  home. 
He  died  while  being  carried  to  the  school  house. 

A  large  stone  boarding  house  conducted  by  Mrs.  Catherine 
Louden  was  wrecked  and  the  aged  woman  and  her  son, 
Ralph  Louden,  were  badly  injured. 

Many  houses  were  wrecked  between  Third  and  Fifth 
Streets  in  Voorhees  Street. 

FREIGHT   CAR   USED   AS   HOSPITAL 

A  freight  car  was  pressed  into  service  as  a  temporary 
medical  quarter,  when  the  fire  wagons  with  the  police  and 


THE  TORNADO   IN   INDIANA  235 

fire  departments  arrived  on  the  scene.  The  live  wires  and 
burning  debris  made  it  impossible  for  the  ambulances  to  get 
within  two  blocks  of  the  scene,  and  the  bodies  had  to  be 
carried  to  safety  by  the  rescuers. 

Six  fires  broke  out  in  different  parts  of  the  devastated 
district,  while  the  rescue  work  was  being  carried  on.  The 
strong  winds  still  blowing  fanned  the  flames  and  drove  the 
rescuers  from  their  work. 

FAMILY   BURIED   UNDER   HOUSE 

Fred  King,  a  glass  blower  at  2146  Dilman  Street,  was  found 
with  his  wife  and  baby  covered  by  the  heavy  timbers  of 
their  home  that  had  collapsed  when  the  storm  struck  it. 
King  had  been  hurled  from  his  bed  a  distance  of  ten  feet. 
Two  heavy  timbers  had  almost  crushed  the  life  out  of  him, 
His  wife  was  terribfy  injured.  A  few  feet  away  the  baby 
was  picked  up  dead.  The  mother  in  her  death  struggles 
probably  tried  to  save  the  baby  by  throwing  it  away  from 
her. 

Near  the  Greenwood  school  several  more  were  killed  and 
many  were  injured.  Mrs.  E.  J.  Edwards,  wife  of  a  druggist, 
was  knocked  down  by  a  heavy  timber  that  broke  her  leg  and 
pinned  her  to  the  ground.  When  she  was  found  the  woman 
was  screaming  for  her  child,  and  later  the  little  fellow,  eight 
years  old,  was  picked  up  dead  and  carried  to  the  Greenwood 
school  building. 

Remarkable  escapes  were  made  in  the  twenty-four  hun- 
dred block  on  South  Third  Street,  some  of  the  residents  of 


236  THE  TORNADO  IN   INDIANA 

the  square  being  seriously  injured.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
Carmichael  escaped  from  their  home  as  it  was  blown  away 
by  the  wind. 

Many  families  were  separated  in  the  excitement  and  for 
hvo  hours  after  the  storm  had  passed  anxious  husbands, 
mothers  and  children  were  searching  the  debris  for  absent 
members  of  their  families.  Many  could  not  find  the  wrecked 
remains  of  their  homes,  so  hopelessly  tangled  was  the  wreck- 
age in  the  streets  and  on  the  sidewalks,  and  in  several  cases 
it  was  difficult  even  to  find  the  place  where  the  home  had 
stood. 

INJURED    CARRIED    TO    HOSPITALS 

Ambulances  and  moving  vans  were  used  to  carry  the 
injured  to  hospitals  and  as  these  were  soon  filled  stables 
and  homes  were  converted  into  temporary  hospitals.  More 
than  two  hundred  persons  were  placed  under  the  care  of 
doctors,  but  many  were  only  slightly  hurt  and  in  some  cases 
women  were  found  to  be  suffering  merely  from  fright.  These 
were  soon  dismissed  to  make  room  for  those  actually  suffering. 

The  scenes  at  the  hospitals  were  pitiful.  The  agony  of 
the  sufferers  was  increased  by  the  uncertainty  as  to  the 
fate  and  condition  of  their  families  and  friends. 

Little  children,  lying  in  bandages  about  the  hospital,  cried 
out  in  pain  and  fright.  One  little  fellow  with  a  big  gash  over 
his  eye  cried  out  for  his  mother  as  he  was  being  taken  to  the 
operating  room.  His  father  sat  near  him  and  tried  to  lend 
what  comfort  was  possible.     A  little  girl  in  one  of  the  large 


THE   TORNADO   IN   INDIANA  237 

rooms  of  the  hospital  played  and  laughed  on  her  bed  while 
three  anxious  physicians  worked  with  her  sister,  who  had 
sustained  a  compound  fracture  of  the  leg  and  a  dislocated 
shoulder. 

victims'  friends  crowd  to  find  them 
Friends  and  relatives  of  people  living  in  the  storm  devas- 
tated region  soon  crowded  the  halls  of  the  hospitals,  anxiously 
inquiring  if  those  dear  to  them  were  among  the  victims. 
Many  learned  of  the  whereabouts  of  relatives  or  friends  in 
the  rooms  of  the  hospital  and  crowded  in  to  see  them  when 
this  was  possible,  expressing  joy  that  they  had  escaped  from 
death  beneath  the  falling  walls  and  timbers  of  their  homes. 
One  man,  when  lifted  on  the  operating  table,  was  found  to 
be  dead. 

RESCUE   WORK 

The  rescue  work  was  carried  on  rapidly,  and  Monday  night 
all  the  homeless  were  cared  for  by  charitable  institutions  and 
citizens,  while  the  more  seriously  injured  were  carried  to 
places  where  they  could  receive  medical  attention.  In  many 
cases  private  homes  were  turned  into  temporary  hospitals. 

The  scenes  in  the  wrecked  sections  in  Terre  Haute  brought 
tears  to  the  eyes  of  the  rescuers,  whose  attention  often  was 
called  to  the  dying,  trapped  in  the  debris  of  their  homes, 
by  agonizing  screams  for  aid.  Some  died  before  they  could 
be  freed  from  wreckage  and  others  who  were  removed  died 
afterward. 


238  THE   TORNADO  IN  INDIANA 

NATIONAL    GUARD    ON    DUTY 

A  company  of  the  Indiana  National  Guard  was  placed  on 
duty  in  the  devastated  district  early  Monday  morning  while 
the  work  of  searching  the  ruins  for  dead  was  still  in  progress. 
Over  the  entire  area  were  scattered  all  kinds  of  household 
furniture,  wearing  apparel,  beds  and  bedding. 

Looting  began  within  a  few  moments  and  the  police  were 
at  first  too  busy  caring  for  the  injured  and  removing  the 
dead  from  the  debris  to  protect  property,  but  the  members 
of  the  National  Guard  soon  established  an  efficient  patrol  and 
the  looters  were  not  in  evidence  afterward. 

TOWN    OF   PERTH    LAID   WASTE 

The  tornado  which  visited  Terra  Haute  also  struck  Perth, 
in  the  northern  part  of  Clay  County,  about  ten  o'clock  and 
then  vanished  in  the  air.  No  lives  were  lost  there  and  only 
one  person  was  injured. 

Nearly  eve^  building  in  the  little  town  of  400  population 
was  wrecked  or  damaged.  A  brick  store  building,  five  two- 
story  houses  and  seven  cottages,  the  Congregational  church, 
a  school  house,  a  three-story  structure,  barns  and  outhouses 
were  completely  demolished. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

The  Tornado  in  Pennsylvania 

storms  throughout  the  state — alarm  in  altoona — furi- 
ous wind  in  williamsport — heavy  storm  in  shamokin 
— columbia  in  darkness — a  veritable  tornado  in 
scranton. 


*SKE  disturbances  in  the  atmosphere  which  wrought 
such  havoc  in  Nebraska,  Iowa,  Illinois  and  Indiana 
were  also  at  work  in  Pennsylvania.  Altoona,  Will- 
iamsport,  Marietta,  Columbia  and  Scranton  were  among  the 
towns  suffering  the  greatest  damage.  The  flood  situation 
throughout  the  Keystone  State  will  be  treated  in  a  later 
chapter. 

ALARM   IN   ALTOONA 

The  storm  struck  Altoona  on  Tuesday,  March  25th.  With  a 
crash  that  alarmed  the  entire  neighborhood,  eighty  feet  of  the 
162-foot  steel  stack  at  the  Pennsylvania  Central  Light  and 
Power  Company's  plant  was  blown  down.  The  wind  tore 
madly  through  the  city  and  the  rain  fell  in  torrents.  Many 
houses  were  unroofed  and  a  number  of  smaller  buildings  were 
entirely  demolished.  No  one  was  injured,  but  damage  to  the 
extent  of  at  least  $2,000  was  reported. 

(239) 


;  ;         THE  TORNADO  IN   PENNSYLVANIA 

FURIOUS   WINDS   IN   WILLIAMSPORT 

A  heavy  wind  and  rainstorm  swept  through  Williamsport 
on  the  same  afternoon,  following  a  few  hours  of  clear  weather 
that  came  in  the  wake  of  twenty-four  hours'  rain.  It  unroofed 
a  number  of  houses  in  the  west  end  of  the  city,  blew  away  the 
roofs  of  several  cars  in  the  Newberry  Junction  railroad  yards, 
partially  demolished  a  car  inspector's  office,  sent  twenty  men 
in  a  panic  from  the  second  story  of  the  New  York  Central 
offices,  which  they  feared  would  be  blown  to  pieces;  blew 
in  the  front  of  a  store  on  Grove  Street  and  scattered  canned 
goods  for  a  block  down  the  street  and  swept  a  path  through  a 
grove  in  the  same  section,  prostrating  a  dozen  giant  oaks. 

Train  service  through  Williamsport  was  seriously  deranged 
all  da}'  Tuesday.  A  landslide  that  covered  both  tracks  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  for  sixty  feet,  with  a  mass  of  mud 
five  feet  deep,  three  miles  east  of  Renovo,  completely  upset 
the  train  schedule  on  the  Susquehanna  Division. 

The  slide  occurred  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  it  was  not  until  eleven  o'clock  that  the  eastbound  track 
was  opened  and  passenger  trains  were  let  through.  The  west- 
bound track  was  not  cleared  until  the  morning.  While  the 
blockade  existed  special  trains  were  run  from  Williamsport. 

HEAVY   STORM    IN    SHAMOKIN 

A  terrific  wind  storm  from  the  northwest  swept  through 
Shamokin  Valley  and  Shamokin,  followed  b}^  rain,  which  fell 
in  torrents.  This  storm  also  occurred  on  Tuesday.  Crops 
in  country  districts  were  torn  up  and  badly  damaged,  while 


THE   TORNADO  IN   PENNSYLVANIA         241 

lowlands  were  flooded.  Roofs  on  a  number  of  barns  and  out- 
dwellings  were  blown  away,  and  telephone  and  telegraph  wires 
were  put  out  of  commission. 

COLUMBIA   IN   DARKNESS 

Columbia  was  struck  by  a  severe  electric  storm  accom- 
panied by  a  downpour  of  rain  on  Tuesday  evening.  Light- 
ning struck  the  local  electric  plant,  doing  considerable  damage 
and  putting  the  town  in  total  darkness  for  the  night.  Many 
residents  and  storekeepers  were  compelled  to  resort  to  candles 
to  help  them  out  during  the  evening. 

A   VERITABLE   TORNADO    IN    SCRANTON 

In  Scranton  the  storm  of  March  25th  amounted  to  a  verita- 
ble tornado.  The  Round  Woods  section  of  the  city  suffered 
most.  The  demons  Silk  Mill,  owned  by  D.  G.  Derry,  of 
Catasauqua,  was  unroofed  and  a  150-foot  section  of  the  roof 
was  deposited  on  the  adjacent  engine  room,  partially  demolish- 
ing the  structure.  The  two  sixty-foot  smokestacks  in  the 
rear  yard  fell  on  top  of  the  engine  house.  The  roof  of  the 
warping  department  also  fell  on  the  engine  house.  The  back 
walls  of  the  warping  department  fell  into  the  yard,  while 
the  upper  part  of  the  front  walls  fell  in.  The  machines  were 
six  feet  from  the  walls.  The  girls  crouched  under  their 
machines  and  escaped  serious  injury.  Several  fainted  and 
were  carried  out  by  foremen. 

Amelia  Davis,  a  warper,  was  hit  on  the  head  by  a  brick  as 
she  hurried  from  the  second  floor.     Tessie  Carey,  of  Minooka, 


242         THE  TORNADO  IN   PENNSYLVANIA 

sustained  a  black  eye  and  lacerations  of  the  left  side  of  the 
face  by  falling  bricks.  Gus  Minnick,  a  repairer,  working  in 
the  engine  room,  had  just  set  his  dinner  pail  where  one  of  the 
stacks  fell.  There  were  altogether  one  hundred  and  fifty 
girls  at  work,  but  outside  of  bruises  and  scratches  they  were 
uninjured.  The  property  damage  was  about  $20,000.  Much 
silk  on  the  looms  was  ruined. 

A  large  tower  was  blown  off  a  school.  Three  houses  in  the 
neighborhood  were  also  badly  damaged  by  the  wind.  The 
storm  caused  destruction  in  all  parts  of  the  city  and  adjoining 
places. 

Trees  and  fences  were  blown  down  in  all  parts  of  the  city 
and  in  the  adjoining  country. 

The  storm  came  from  the  west  and  its  approach  was  pre- 
ceded by  an  inky  black  sky  which,  coupled  with  thoughts  of 
the  havoc  of  Sunday's  storm  in  Nebraska,  caused  a  general 
consternation.  A  heavy  downpour  accompanied  by  thunder 
and  lightning  followed  the  tornado.  ' 


CHAPTER  XXV 

The  Freak  Tornado  in  Alabama 

freaks  of  the  wind — pitiable  chaos — the  hero  of  lower 
peachtree — extent  of  damage. 

'EIUD  tales  of  horror  and  misery  attended  the  tornado 
which  swept  over  the  little  town  of  Lower  Peach- 
tree,  Alabama,  on  Friday,  March  21st,  wrecking 
the  entire  village. 

After  the  tornado  had  passed,  corpses  with  hair  stripped 
from  heads  and  divested  of  every  thread  of  clothing  were 
picked  up.  Naked  men  and  women  ran  screaming  in  the 
semi-darkness. 

Chickens  and  hogs  stripped  of  feathers  and  hair  wandered 
in  bewilderment  among  the  ruins.  Nailed  unerringly  into 
trees  cleaned  of  their  bark  were  pickets  from  fences  that  had 
been  swept  away.  Where  once  had  stood  a  big  steamboat 
warehouse  near  the  river  was  left  the  floor  of  the  building 
standing  upon  which  were  the  entire  contents  of  the  ware- 
house untouched  by  the  terrific  whirls  of  the  wind. 

In  the  backyard  of  the  Bryant  home,  buried  in  debris,  was 
a  chicken  coop,  not  a  splinter  awry.  Within  it  was  a  goose 
sitting  meekly  upon  a  dozen  eggs  which  she  had  not  left. 

(243) 


244         THE   FREAK  TORNADO   IN  ALABAMA 

The  blast  wrenched  an  iron  bed  from  a  house  and  wrapped 
it  around  a  tree  trunk  as  no  human  hand  could  have  done. 

Crossing  the  river  from  the  town  it  had  desolated  it  bore 
away  half  of  a  soapstone  bluff  many  feet  in  height  and  left 
the  other  half  standing  unmarred. 

Miss  Mary  Watson,  a  visitor  in  the  Stabler  home,  v. 
crossing  a  hallway  when  the  tornado  struck.     She  was  swept 
through  the  hallway  and  to  the  rear  of  the  house,  where  she 
was  blown  against  a  tree  and  her  back  broken. 

PITIABLE    CHAOS 

In  the  business  neighborhood  everything  was  swept  away 
except  two  grocery  stores.  They  were  thrown  open  as  dis- 
pensaries of  free  provisions. 

No  semblance  of  order  could  be  brought  from  the  pitiable 
chaos  of  the  wrecked  town  until  Sunday  afternoon,  when  cool 
heads  prevailed  and  the  survivors  and  visitors  who  offered 
assistance  were  regularly  organized  into  committees  to  attend 
to  the  needs  of  the  sufferers. 

Troops  from  Fort  Oglethorpe,  with  hospital  corps  and  sup- 
plies for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  arrived  Sunday  night  and 
administered  to  the  needs  of  the  injured  and  homeless. 

THE  HERO  OF  LOWER  PEACHTREE 

Tributes  to  the  bravery  of  Professor  Grifhn,  a  survivor  of 
the  tornado,  were  paid  by  many  who  visited  the  scene.  Pro- 
fessor Griffin,  after  having  been  blown  hundreds  of  feet  from 
his  home,  returned  bruised  and  bleeding  to  the  center  of  the 


THE  FREAK  TORNADO  IN   ALABAMA        245 

town  and  worked  unceasingly  to  relieve  the  injured  and  to 
quiet  survivors,  insane  with  grief  and  excitement.  Peter 
Milledge,  whose  wife  and  two  children  perished  when  their 
home  was  destroyed,  went  mad. 

EXTENT   OF   DAMAGE 

The  Red  Cross  agent  who  investigated  the  situation  at 
Lower  Peachtree  on  Wednesday,  March  26th,  reported  that 
sixty-eight  were  injured  in  the  tornado  which  swept  that 
section  and  that  two  hundred  were  destitute. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

The  Flood  in  New  York 

hundreds  of  homes  in  buffalo  flooded — the  plight  of 
rochester — valley  of  the  genesee  paralyzed — driven 
from  homes  at  olean — worst  flood  in  history  of 
hornell — lake  country  paralyzed  with  fear — water 
covers  part  of  binghamton — glens  falls  bridge  down 
— distress  in  fort  edward — big  paper  company  in 
trouble — homes  abandoned  in  schenectady — high 
waters  in  troy — watervliet  flooded — albany  in  the 
grip  of  the  flood. 


A 


TREMENDOUS  downfall  of  rain,   March   24th  and 
25th,  developed  some  of  the  worst  floods  known  in 
fifty  years.     Vast  areas  of    New  York  were  under 
water  and  hundreds  of  homes  were  swept  away. 

On  the  night  of  March  25th  the  entire  area  of  South  Buffalo 
was  under  water,  street  car  traffic  was  suspended  and  row- 
boats  were  plying  the  streets. 

The  Buffalo  River  and  Cazenovia  Creek  had  both  over- 
flowed their  banks  with  a  rush  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  the  dwellers  in  the  South  Park  section  of  the  city  had  no 
chance  to  escape. 

(246) 


THE   FLOOD  IN  NEW  YORK  247 

Hundreds  of  homes  were  soon  flooded.  Firemen  were  sent 
out  in  boats  to  rescue  those  who  desired  to  leave.  Hundreds 
of  workers  were  marooned  in  distant  parts  of  the  city,  unable 
to  reach  their  homes. 

Within  the  city  limits  of  Buffalo  big  manufacturing  plants 
suffered  $150,000  of  damage.  Many  big  oil  tanks  were  over- 
turned and  crashed  against  buildings.  Train  service  through- 
out the  city  was  practically  at  a  standstill,  and  miles  of  track 
east  and  south  of  the  city  were  washed  away.  The  main 
line  of  the  Erie  Railroad,  between  Buffalo  and  New  York  City, 
was  washed  out  in  ma-iy  places. 

THE    PLIGHT   OF   ROCHESTER 

Not  since  1865,  when  Rochester,  then  a  city  of  50,000, 
suffered  immense  damage  by  floods,  has  the  city  faced  such 
a  serious  situation  as  it  did  on  the  night  of  Friday,  March 
28th.  Half  the  business  section  was  under  water,  which  in 
some  sections  was  five  feet  deep. 

Water  commenced  to  pour  into  Front,  Mill  and  Andrew 
Streets  early  Thursday  evening,  and  all  through  the  night 
merchants  worked  to  get  their  goods  to  higher  ground.  The 
big  warehouse  of  the  Graves  Furniture  Company  in  Mill 
Street  was  flooded  so  quickly  that  thousands  of  dollars  dam- 
age was  done  to  the  goods.  The  following  morning  it  was 
impossible  to  get  through  these  streets  except  in  boats  and 
rafts,  and  the  work  of  salvage  was  continued  in  this  way. 

The  newspaper  ofhces  of  the  Post  Express  and  Democrat 
and  the  Chronicle  had  their  basements  flooded  and  the  presses 


248  THE   FLOOD  IN   NEW  YORK 

put  out  of  commission.  The  Pennsylvania  line  into  Roches- 
ter, which  uses  the  bed  of  the  old  Genesee  Canal,  was  put 
out  of  commission.  The  Erie  and  Lehigh  Valley  lines  to  vil- 
lages to  the  south  were  blocked  by  the  floods  for  several  days. 
The  only  fatality  of  the  flood  occurred  at  six  o'clock  Sunday 
evening,  when  a  boy  who  was  paddling  over  the  flooded 
meadow  of  the  Genesee  Valley  Park  was  carried  out  into  the 
river.    The  canoe  was  swept  over  the  dam  at  Court  Street. 

VALLEY  OF  THE  GENESEE  PARALYZED 

The  whole  valley  of  the  Genesee  was  more  or  less  paralyzed. 
As  early  as  Wednesday  the  villages  of  Mount  Morris  and 
Dansville,  in  the  Genesee  River  Valley,  were  under  several 
feet  of  water,  and  the  terrified  folk  who  lived  in  the  lowlands 
were  hurrying  to  places  of  safety,  abandoning  their  homes. 

Commerce  was  soon  at  a  standstill,  and  conditions  continued 
to  grow  more  serious.  They  were  in  some  localities  worse 
than  at  any  time  since  1865.  The  washing  out  of  bridges 
and  the  flooding  of  roads  practically  cut  the  villages  off  from 
the  outside  world. 

DRIVEN   FROM   HOMES   AT   OLEAN 

One  thousand  persons  were  driven  from  their  homes  at 
Olean  by  the  high  wa  ers  of  the  Canisteo  and  Horneil.  John 
Cook  was  drowned  while  attempting  to  rescue  others. 

Four  oil  tanks  were  floating  about  the  city  of  Olean,  and 
the  coating  of  oil  on  the  water  made  the  danger  from  fire 
serious.     The  water  was  from  three  to  ten  feet  deep. 


THE   FLOOD   IN  NEW   YORK  249 

WORST   FLOOD    IN   HISTORY   OF   HORNELL 

Following  thirty  hours  of  continued  rain,  Hornell,  a  small 
city  in  Steuben  County,  suffered  the  worst  flood  in  its  history. 
It  swept  down  the  Canisteo  Valley,  completely  inundating 
the  greater  portion  of  the  city  of  Hornell  and  half  a  dozen 
villages  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles.  A  thousand  homes  were 
flooded. 

The  Canisteo  Valley  for  a  distance  of  forty  miles  was  under 
water,  and  the  situation  was  appalling.  Roads  were  washed 
out,  bridges  gone  and  much  property  destroyed.  The  fire 
in  every  furnace  in  the  flood  district  was  out,  and  suffering 
was  acute. 

LAKE    COUNTRY   PARALYZED   WITH    FEAR 

The  lake  region  in  the  central  western  part  of  the  state 
suffered  heavily  from  floods.  The  villages  of  Marcellus, 
Camillus  and  Marietta,  west  of  Syracuse,  were  threatened 
with  extinction.  The  earthen  bank,  which  adjoins  the  huge 
dam  of  Otisco  Lake,  weakened  and,  it  was  feared  that  if  the 
flood  conditions  did  not  improve  the  bank  would  give  way. 

Auburn  was  seriously  threatened  b}^  the  rising  of  Owasco 
Lake.  The  dam  furnishing  power  to  the  Dunn  and  McCarthy 
shoe  shops  broke  in  the  center  and  it  was  feared  the  rest  of 
the  structure  would  go  down.  Pumps  were  at  work  continu- 
ously in  the  Auburn  water  works  at  Owasco  Lake  to  keep  the 
engine  and  boiler  pits  free  of  water. 

The  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  along  Cayuga  Lake,  between 
Auburn  and  Ithaca,  was  under  water  for  a  distance  of  nine 


250  THE   FLOOD   IN   NEW   YORK 

miles  south  of  Kings  Ferry.  No  trains  were  running  on  that 
branch.  A  small  bridge  at  Farley's  Point,  near  the  lower 
end  of  Cayuga  Lake,  was  washed  away.  An  avalanche  of 
mud  and  stones  buried  the  railroad  tracks  near  Kings  Ferry. 

The  incessant  rains  of  two  days  raised  the  little  creeks  in 
the  vicinity  of  Interlaken  to  torrents.  Many  bridges  were 
washed  out. 

Canandaigua  Lake  reached  its  highest  level  in  sixteen  years. 
Streets  in  Canandaigua  were  flooded. 

Floods  due  to  breaks  and  overflows  in  the  Erie  Canal  at 
Waterloo,  Seneca  Falls,  Port  Bryon  and  elsewhere,  caused 
thousands  of  dollars  loss.  The  Seneca  River  was  over  its 
banks. 

WATER    COVERS   PART   OF   BINGHAMTON 

At  Binghamton,  on  the  Susquehanna  River,  water  covered 
the  entire  northwestern  residence  section  of  the  city.  All 
the  manufacturing  establishments  along  the  river  banks  were 
closed. 

Boats  were  forced  into  use  in  the  residence  districts  and  the 
Fire  Department,  with  three  steamers,  endeavored  to  keep 
down  the  water  in  the  basements  in  the  business  section. 

GLENS   FALLS   BRIDGE    DOWN 

But  more  serious  than  the  conditions  anywhere  else  in 
Nov/  York  were  those  along  the  Hudson  River  Valley.  Dam- 
age  estimated  at  not  less  than  $300,000  was  caused  by  high 
water  near  Glens  Falls,  resulting  from  heavy  rains,  which 
fell  for  nearly  a  week. 


THE  FLOOD   IN  NEW  YORK  251 

The  steei  suspension  bridge,  two  hundred  feet  in  length, 
across  the  Hudson  between  the  city  and  South  Glens  Falls 
was  destroyed.  All  records  for  high  water  were  broken,  the 
bridge  being  carried  out  after  the  steel  supports  underneath 
had  been  constantly  pounded  for  hours  by  logs  dashed  against 
them  by  the  raging  waters. 

At  Hadley,  one  of  the  plants  of  the  Urn  on  Bag  and  Paper 
Company  was  completely  flooded,  and  water  was  pouring 
from  every  window.  It  was  feared  that  the  structure  might 
be  destroyed.     All  paper  mills  in  the  section  were  closed  down. 

DISTRESS    IN    FORT    EDWARD 

At  Fort  Edward  village  $50,000  damage  was  done.  About 
one  hundred  families  were  driven  from  their  homes  to  seek 
shelter  in  higher  parts  of  the  village.  Many  parts  of  the 
village  were  submerged  and  in  the  main  business  section  five 
feet  of  water  filled  the  cellars  on  the  river  side  of  the  street. 
The  water  had  reached  the  windows  of  the  first  stories  of 
many  houses  in  the  lower  sections.  Trains  of  loaded  coal 
cars  were  used  to  hold  down  the  monster  railroad  bridge  of 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Company  at  this  village  while  big 
jams  of  logs  threatened  to  carry  it  out. 

BIG   PAPER    COMPANY   IN   TROUBLE 

At  least  150  feet  of  the  big  dam  of  the  International  Paper 
Company  at  Corinth  was  carried  out  and  the  mill  partly 
flooded.  A  small  part  of  the  same  company's  dam  at  Fort 
Edward  was  also  carried  out.  The  International  wras  one  of 
the  heaviest  losers . 


252  THE  FLOOD   IN   NEW  YORK 

HOMES  ABANDONED  IN  SCHENECTADY 

At  Schenectady,  just  west  of  the  Hudson  on  the  Mohawk, 
houses  on  twenty-five  streets  were  abandoned  by  their  occu- 
pants.    The  entire  lower  section  of  the  city  was  submerged. 

The  whole  Mohawk  Valley  was  swept  by  the  worst  floo^ 
in  its  history. 

The  Groff  dam  near  Herkimer  broke  and  several  houses 
were  carried  away.  A  dam  at  Canajoharie  threatened  to  go 
out.  Three  great  canal  gates  at  Fort  Plain  were  swept  away. 
The  Amsterdam  reservoir,  which  covers  680  acres,  was  weak- 
ened and  a  patrol  was  stationed  there. 

HIGH   WATERS   IN   TROY 

So  great  was  the  flood  in  Troy,  on  the  Hudson  below  the 
entrance  of  the  Mohawk,  that  martial  law  was  practically 
declared.  Members  of  two  military  companies  patrolled  the 
streets,  relieving  the  tired  firemen  and  police,  many  of  whom 
had  been  on  continuous  duty  for  forty-eight  hours.  Mayor 
Burns  did  not  sleep  for  two  nights,  taking  charge  in  person  of 
the  Public  Safety  Department. 

Fires  added  to  the  seriousness  of  the  flood  situation  and 
firemen  were  kept  busy  all  day  answering  alarms  in  the  flooded 
district.  Damage  estimated  at  thousands  of  dollars  was  done 
by  the  fire. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  Troy  the  newspapers, 
with  one  exception,  were  unable  to  go  to  press.  One  publica- 
tion printed  a  four-page  pamphlet  on  a  hand  press.  Another 
was  printed  in  Albany. 


T1 


THE  FLOOD   IN   NEW   YORK  253 

Hundreds  of  families  were  rendered  homeless,  and  relief 
stations  in  various  parts  of  the  city  were  filled  with  refugees. 
The  city  faced  an  epidemic  of  typhoid,  and  every  effort  was 
made  to  guard  against  it. 

WATERVLIET   FLOODED 

In  Watervliet  the  water  in  many  places  measured  ten  feet 
deep  and  the  police  station  and  post-office  were  flooded. 
One-third  of  Green  Island  was  submerged.  In  Rensselaer, 
across  the  river  from  Albany,  much  damage  and  suffering 
were  caused. 

The  losses  of  logs  in  the  regions  to  the  north  amounted  to 
many  thousands  of  dollars  and  the  damage  in  the  lumber 
district  of  Albany  was  heavy. 

ALBANY  IN  THE  GRIP  OF  THE  FLOOD 

On  March  27th  the  river  at  Albany  was  seventeen  feet 
above  normal  and  was  still  rising.  The  power  plants  were 
put  out  of  commission,  street  car  traffic  practically  suspended 
and  schools  and  factories  closed.  The  city's  filtration  plant 
was  threatened.     The  south  end  of  the  city  was  under  water. 

Railroad  service  was  crippled,  mails  delayed  and  telegraph 
and  telephone  service  hampered.  There  was  much  damage 
to  property,  but  no  loss  of  life. 

The  damage  in  Albany  was  estimated  at  $1,000,000. 
Governor  Sulzer  was  informed  that  about  $3,500,000  will  be 
necessary  to  repair  the  embankments  along  the  old  and  the 
new  barge  canal  locks  and  dams. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

The  Flood  in  Pennsylvania 

trains  in  northwestern  pennsylvania  tied  up — mead- 
ville  submerged — shenango  valley  in  distress — panic 
in  new  castle — beaver  river  at  flood — the  rising 
allegheny  at  warren  —  fears  of  oil  city  —  grave 
situation  of  pittsburgh. 

ANY  dead,  hundreds  ill,   thousands   homeless,  and 
many  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  property  de- 
stroyed— such  was  the  record  of  the  flood  in  the 
Keystone  State. 

By  Tuesday,  March  25th,  railroad  travel  in  northwestern 
Pennsylvania  was  seriously  tied  up  on  account  of  washouts, 
due  to  recent  rains.  Corry  became  the  western  terminal  of 
the  Erie  Railroad,  trains  west  of  Corry  being  abandoned. 
Between  Corry  and  Titusville  were  four  washouts,  tying  up 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad. 

MEADVILLE    SUBMERGED 

In  Mcadville  the  situation  was  even  worse.  Once  again 
Mill  Run  and  Ncason's  Run,  combined  with  the  floods  of 
French  and  Cussewago  Creeks,  overflowed  the  city. 

(254) 


THE  FLOOD   IN  PENNSYLVANIA  255 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  of  the  high  sections,  the  entire 
city  was  under  water,  which  in  some  sections  reached  to  the 
second  story  of  homes.  Business  places  on  lower  Chestnut, 
Water,  Market  and  South  Main  Streets  and  Park  Avenue 
were  submerged,  water  running  through  the  main  rooms  of 
the  hotels  and  other  business  places.  The  waters  had  a  clear 
sweep  of  nearly  half  of  the  city,  and  never  before  had  the  four 
streams  combined  for  such  a  gambol. 

SHENANGO   VALLEY   IN   DISTRESS 

Throughout  the  Shenango  Valley  hundreds  of  families 
were  imprisoned  in  their  homes  and  frantic  efforts  were 
made  to  rescue  the  marooned  persons  from  their  dangerous 
positions.  At  Sharon  the  greatest  flood  in  the  history  of 
the  city  was  experienced.  Thousands  of  persons  were  thrown 
out  of  employment  and  the  property  loss  was  enormous. 
The  entire  town  was  inundated  and  a  dozen  or  more  bridges 
were  wrecked.  The  loss  of  the  United  States  Steel  Corpora- 
tion at  Farrel,  a  suburb,  was  estimated  at  $200,000. 

The  torrent  swept  swiftly  upon  Sharon.  The  crest  reached 
a  height  of  fifty  feet.  The  released  wall  of  water,  gathering 
buildings,  stacks  of  lumber,  hundreds  of  logs  and  a  mass  of 
debris  in  its  van  as  a  giant  battering  ram,  rolled  like  a  giant 
hoop  into  the  center  of  the  thriving  milling  town.  If  followed 
the  course  of  the  Shenango,  which  bisects  the  city. 

After  the  flood  unsuccessfully  rammed  the  double  line  of 
steel  buildings  the  torrent  passed  further  to  the  center  of  the 
city.     One  pier  of  a  concrete  bridge,  erected  two  years  before, 


256  THE   FLOOD   IN   PENNSYLVANIA 

which  spans  Silver  and  Porter  Streets,  cracked  off  like  a  match- 
stick.  The  impact  carried  the  block  of  concrete,  weighing 
several  tons,  for  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 

Fire  added  to  the  terror  of  the  flood  when  Wishart's  planii 
mill,  on  Railroad  Street,  was  discovered  to  be  in  flam; 
Tuesday  afternoon.  The  steamers  of  the  fire  companies 
could  not  be  taken  close  enough  to  pump  water  from  the 
swollen  Shenango.  There  was  only  one  recourse — to  take  the 
supply  of  drinking  water  in  the  city's  reservoir  or  permit  the 
fire  to  burn  and  possibly  jeopardize  all  the  wooden  buildings 
within  a  radius  of  a  mile.  Sharonites  actually  cheered  the 
firemen  as  they  saw  their  drinking  water  vanish. 

PANIC    IN    NEW    CASTLE 

The  flood  waters  of  the  Shenango  caused  great  distress  in 
New  Castle  and  near-by  places.  The  water  put  the  lighting 
plants  and  the  city  water  station  out  of  commission.  Fifteen 
hundred  homes  were  submerged.     Thousands  had  to  flee. 

BEAVER   RIVER   AT    FLOOD 

The  Beaver  River  rose  high  and  the  entire  valley  from  the 
Ohio  River  north  was  flooded.  The  towns  of  New  Brighton, 
Fallston  and  Beaver  Falls  suffered  most,  and  there  was  some 
damage  at  Rochester.  Traffic  on  the  railroads  was  suspended 
at  daybreak,  and  not  a  trolley  car  was  running  in  the  valley. 

THE    RISING   ALLEGHENY    AT   WARREN 

At  Warren  and  points  all  down  the  length  of  the  Allegheny 
River  to  Pittsburgh,  flood  conditions  were  still  more  serious. 


THE   FLOOD   IN   PENNSYLVANIA 


CF. 


157 


For  Warren  itself  the  worst  was  feared.  Hourly  the  flood 
situation  grew  worse.  On  Wednesday  the  water  was  rising 
at  the  rate  of  four  inches  an  hour.  The  river  threatened  to 
cut  a  new  channel  through  the  south  side  of  the  city  and  scores 
of  men  wore  piling  up  sandbags  to  prevent  this. 


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MA?  SHOWING  SOME  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  CITIES  AND  TOWNS  EN  WESTERN  PENNSYLVANIA 

THAT  WERE  FLOODED 


Captain  U.  G.  Lyons  assumed  charge  of  the  situation, 
and  under  his  direction  a  life  raft  composed  of  barrels  was 
made  and  launched  in  the  Allegheny  River.  Thanks  to  the 
raft,  not  one  life  was  lost  from  among  the  many  who  floated 
down  the  stream  on  debris, 


17 


258  THE  FLOOD  IN  PENNSYLVANIA 

FEARS  OF  OIL  CITY 

Oil  City,  on  Oil  Creek  near  its  entrance  to  the  Allegheny 
River,  was  in  a  serious  plight.  Oil  Creek  overflowed  its  banks 
and  covered  the  portion  of  towja  that  was  devastated  by  the 
great  fire  and  flood  of  1S92. 

The  town  was  in  a  condition  bordering  on  panic  and  busi- 
ness was  suspended.  More  than  seventy-five  persons  were 
removed  from  their  homes  in  wagons,  the  water  being  from 
five  to  six  feet  deep.     Railroads  suffered  heavily. 

Newspapers  and  industrial  plants  at  Oil  City  were  shut 
down  because  of  flooded  power  rooms.  Fires  were  pro- 
hibited and  railroad  locomotives  were  ordered  to  extinguish 
their  fires  to  avoid  any  danger  of  igniting  the  oil. 

GIRL   DROWNED    AT  FRANKLIN 

One  death  and  extensive  property  damage  were  caused  in 
the  vicinity  of  Franklin  by  the  flooded  condition  of  the 
Allegheny  River  ac  '1  French  Creek . 

Every  one  in  the  flooded  district  was  ordered  to  extinguish 
all  fires,  as  benzine  from  the  Titusville  refineries  was  floating 
on  the  rising  waters. 

GRAVE   SITUATION   OF  PITTSBURGH 

In  Pittsburgh  the  flood  situation  became  serious  by  the 
evening  of  March  26th,  and  continued  to  grow  rapidly  worse. 
The  gauge  at  Point  Bridge  showed  twenty-six  feet  at  eight 
o'clock,  four  feet  above  the  danger  point,  and  the  rivers  were 
rising  steadily.      Rain  was  falling  throughout  the  western 


THE  FLOOD  IN  PENNSYLVANIA  259 

watershed,  and  every  stream  in  western  Pennsylvania  assumed 
the  proportions  of  a  raging  torrent. 

In  the  Pittsburgh  district  100,000  were  idle,  the  workmen 
having  been  driven  from  the  manufacturing  plants  by  high 
waters.  Ten  miles  of  streets  were  converted  into  canals. 
In  parts  of  the  North  Side  the  streets  were  under  twelve  feet 
of  water.  The  policeboats  patrolled  the  flooded  district, 
carrying  coal  and  food  to  families  marooned  in  the  upper 
floors  of  their  homes. 

Pittsburgh's  suburbs  down  the  Ohio  were  all  partly  inun- 
dated. Ambridge,  Woodlawn,  Sewickley,  Coraopolis  and 
McKees  Pocks  residents  were  forced  to  desert  their  homes 
or  ta,ke  to  the  upper  floors. 

Downtown  the  pumps  were  working  in  most  of  the  hotels, 
theatres  and  office  buildings.  Business  was  nearly  at  a  stand- 
still. Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  store  goods 
was  Tinned.  The  Exposition  Music  Hall  was  holding  four 
feet  of  water. 

No  trains  were  running  to  the  flooded  regions.  At  least  a 
score  of  railroad  bridges  had  been  destroyed,  and  miles  of 
tracks  carried  away.  The  railroad  damage  contributed 
largely  to  the  estimated  total  damage  of  $50,000,000. 

TOLL  OF  THE  FLOOD  AT  SHAMOKIN 

In  Central  Pennsylvania,  especially  along  the  Susquehanna, 
the  flood  gripped  many  towns.  At  Shamokin  mountain 
streams  overflowed  their  banks,  and  in  some  instances  water 
flowed  down  mine  breaches  and  found  its  way  to  the  lower 


260  THE   FLOOD  IN   PENNSYLVANIA 

levels  of  collieries.  Mine  pumps  were  run  to  their  greatest 
capacity  to  prevent  inundations.  The  Shamokin  Creek,  in 
Shamokin  Valley,  overflowed  its  banks  in  the  lowlands  and 
spread  over  acres  of  ground  on  either  side  of  the  creek  channel. 

COLUMBIA    AND    MARIETTA    FLOODED 

More  than  three  inches  of  water  fell  at  Columbia  in  a  period 
of  twenty-four  hours.  All  the  streams  overflowed  and  much 
damage  was  done.  Trains  on  the  Columbia  branch  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  ran  through  eighteen  inches  of  water. 
The  storm  was  accompanied  by  high  winds,  which  unroofed 
scores  of  buildings. 

At  Marietta,  after  a  storm  reported  as  the  worst  in  many 
years,  the  flood  situation  was  grave.  The  river  rose  high,  fields 
were  flooded  and  residents  on  Front  Street  were  obliged  to 
move  to  second  stories.  Two  men  upset  in  a  boat  along  the 
York  County  shore  while  after  ducks  were  drowned. 

DESTRUCTION   AND   DAMAGE    IN   MINING   TOWNS 

Many  of  the  mining  towns  in  Pennsylvania  were  distressed 
by  unprecedented  floods.  At  Scranton  the  Lackawanna 
River  overflowed  its  banks  in  various  places.  Richmond  No. 
1  and  No.  2  collieries  and  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  "slope" 
colliery  in  North  Scranton  were  compelled  to  shut  down  b}r 
reason  of  the  water  flooding  the  engine  rooms.  The  Ontario 
and  Western  tracks  at  Providence  and  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  tracks  at  Dickson  City  were  washed  out.  Water 
surrounded  the  Frisbie  and  the  Bliss  silk  mills  in  Dickson 
City  and  the  girls  wore  marooned  for  the  night. 


THE   FLOOD   IN   PENNSYLVANIA  261 

Six  hundred  people  living  on  " Hungarian  Flats,"  in  the 
northern  end  of  the  city,  became  panic-stricken  when  water 
broke  through  the  streets,  and,  taking  their  cattle  and  house- 
hold goods,  they  fled  to  the  hills  at  Throop. 

At  Wilkes-Barre  ithe  Susquehanna  reached  the  flood  stage. 
The  water  went  over  the  lowlands  on  the  west  side  and 
Wilkes-Barre  was  cut  of?  from  many  of  its  suburban  towns, 
all  traffic  being  stopped.  The  towns  of  Edwardsville,  King- 
ston, Westmoor  and  West  Nanticoke  were  partly  under 
water.  Five  hundred  families  were  driven  from  their  homes 
and  forced  to  seek  safety.  The  water  rose  so  rapidly  that  it 
was  necessary  to  rescue  women  and  children  in  rowboats. 
Considerable  damage  was  done  to  property,  but  there  was  no 
loss  of  life. 

In  Westmoor,  Edwardsville  and  West  Nanticoke  the  water 
reached  the  first  floors  of  the  buildings.  Families  were 
compelled  to  depart  and  leave  their  furnishings  to  be  damaged 
by  the  water. 

As  a  result  of  heavy  rains  the  water  rose  high  in  many  of 
the  mines  of  the  Hazleton  region.  Railroad  men  were  warned 
to  be  on  guard  for  washouts. 

The  Beaver  Brook  and  Hazle  Mountain  mines  closed  on 
account  of  high  water.  The  mules  were  removed  from  the 
Ebervale,  Harleigh  and  Beaver  Brook  workings. 

At  Shenandoah  the  storm  that  raged  for  two  days  did  untold 
damage  to  the  mines.  At  Kehley  Run  Colliery  the  water 
main  that  supplies  the  boilers  with  water  was  washed  away 
and  the  colliery  was  compelled  to  shut  down.     The  fires  were 


262  THE  FLOOD  IN  PENNSYLVANIA 

hurriedly  drawn,  thereby  preventing  an  explosion.  At  Bast 
Colliery,  near  Girardville,  the  water  rushed  into  a  mine 
breach  and  flooded  the  workers.  It  was  with  difficulty  the 
miners  escaped. 

Electric-light,  telephone  and  telegraph  wires  were  down  in 
Shenandoah,  and  many  homes  in  the  lowlands  were  flooded. 
The  trolley  and  steam  roads  were  hampered  by  the  heavy 
rains,  and  in  many  places  trades  were  washed  out. 

Heavy  floods  caused  the  entombment  of  six  men  at  the 
Buck  Run  Colliery,  at  Mount  Pleasant,  and  a  rescuing  party 
worked  up  to  their  necks  in  water  to  get  the  men  out  alive. 
The  softness  of  the  earth  caused  the  sagging  of  a  breast,  which 
was  followed  by  a  sudden  rush  of  water,  cutting  off  the  escape 
of  the  entombed  men. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

The  Flood  in  tbe  Ohio  Valley 

peril  in  the  ohio  valley — distress  at  wheeling — parkers- 
burg  under  y/ater — kentucky  towns  submerged — 
imperiled  towns  in  indiana — shawneetown  submerged 
— cairo  facing  crisis — situation  hourly  worse. 

"HILE  Dayton,  Columbus  and  other  cities  of  the 
Middle    West   were    passing   through    the    worst 
floods  in  their  history,  the  Ohio  River  was  pre- 
paring new  perils.     All  along  its  course  it  carried  destruction. 

DISTRESS   AT    WHEELING 

At  Wheeling,  as  early  as  March  26th,  several  persons  were 
drowned  and  many  narrowly  escaped  death  when  a  freshet 
swept  down  Wheeling  Creek  through  Barton,  Ohio. 

Two  days  later,  with  the  crest  of  the  flood  past,  Wheeling 
turned  to  take  up  in  earnest  the  task  of  caring  for  her  thou- 
sands of  destitute  and  homeless. 

Although  the  loss  in  money  ran  into  millions,  few  of  those 
able  to  aid  seemed  to  think  of  anything  but  the  alleviation  of 
want  and  suffering.  Before  noon  Mayor  Kirk  had  raised 
more  than  $8,000  for  the  relief  fund,  and  most  of  the  wealthy 

(263) 


264         THE   FLOOD   IN  THE   OHIO  VALLEY 

men  and  women  of  Wheeling  had  contributed.  Churches, 
schools,  clubs,  auditorium,  public  halls  and  hundreds  of  pri- 
vate residences  were  thrown  open  to  those  driven  from  th? 
lower  quarters. 

PARKERSBURG    UNDER   WATER 

More  than  half  the  business  district  of  Parkersburg  and 
part  of  the  residence  section  were  under  water  on  March  28th, 
with  the  Ohio  River  still  rising.  The  gas,  electric  and  water 
plants  went  out  of  commission  soon  after  noon,  and  street 
cars  stopped  operations.  All  the  newspaper  plants  were 
flooded  out  except  that  of  the  Parkersburg  Sentinel,  whose 
editorial  force  was  taken  to  the  building  in  boats,  and  worked 
on  the  second  story  while  water  was  flowing  through  the 
rooms  below  them.  A  single  page,  printed  on  a  proof  press 
and  containing  the  flood  news  of  the  Associated  Press  report, 
was  delivered  to  newsboys  in  boats,  who  sold  each  copy  at  a 
fancy  price,  as  the  printing  of  the  edition  was  limited  to  two 
a  minute. 

KENTUCKY   TOWNS   SUBMERGED 

The  crest  of  the  Ohio  river  flood  reached  Louisville  April 
1st,  with  a  stage  of  about  forty-five  feet. 
The  railroad  situation  in  Louisville  became  acute.      The 

Louisville,  Henderson  and  St.  Louis  suspended  traffic  entirely. 
The  Louisville  and  Nashville  from  Cincinnati  could  reach  the 
city  only  by  detouring  through  Jefferson ville,  Indiana,  cross- 
ing the  swollen  Ohio  on  the  Big  Four  bridge  and  returning  via 


THE   FLOOD   IN  THE   OHIO  VALLEY         265 

the  Pennsylvania  bridge  to  reach  the  Louisville  and  Nashville 
station,  which  was  used  also  by  the  Pennsylvania  trains. 

.  Western  Kentucky  points  continued  to  report  rising  water. 
Owensboro,  Henderson  and  Wickliffe  were  centers  of  refuge 
for  inhabitants  of  the  lowlands,  who  fled  before  the  flood. 
There  were  more  than  four  thousand  refugees  at  Wickliffe. 

At  Paducah  on  April  3d  the  flood  situation  was  rendered 
doubly  grave  by  the  fact  that  smallpox  had  broken  out  in  the 
camp  of  colored  refugees  on  Gregory  Heights.  Five  hundred  on 
the  hill  had  been  quarantined. 

IMPERILED    TOWNS    IN    INDIANA 

The  government  relief  boat  "Scioto,"  in  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant Hight,  U.  S.  A.,  towed  a  barge  load  of  provisions  into 
Lawrenceburg,  Indiana,  on  March  31st,  to  find  but  fort}^  of  the 
five  thousand  homes  there  not  under  water.  When  the  boat 
proceeded  to  Aurora  conditions  were  found  almost  as  bad, 
with  but  five  hundred  homes  free  from  the  reach  of  the  ail- 
engulfing  waters. 

The  south  levee  at  Lawrenceburg  broke  at  2.50  p.  m.  on 
March  29th.  A  wall  of  water  poured  through  the  opening 
and  went  raging  through  the  center  of  the  town,  tearing  up 
all  before  it.  Houses  were  crushed  like  eggshells  and  the 
wreckage  was  carried  four  miles  along  the  Miami  to  the  fill 
on  the  main  line  of  the  Big  Four.  The  break  came  when  it 
was  least  expected,  but  the  residents  were  warned  to  leave 
town,  and  no  lives  were  lost.  Water  stood  six  feet  deep  in 
the  streets. 


2GG         THE   FLOOD   IN  THE   OHIO  VALLEY 

JEFFERSONVILLE   AND   EVANSVILLE    FLOODED 

At  Jefferson ville  two  hundred  convicts  from  the  Indiana  Re- 
formatory worked  for  nearly  two  days  on  the  levee  during  the 
flood  week,  and  through  their  work  it  was  possible  to  save  the 
town  from  the  Ohio  River. 

A  committee  of  citizens  of  Jeffersonville  perfected  arrange- 
ments for  a  banquet  to  be  given  in  honor  of  the  gray-garbed 
men  who  saved  their  homes.  The  entertainment  was  planned 
for  April  13th,  at  a  cost  of  $1,000. 

Evansville  citizens  were  alarmed  at  the  continued  rise  of 
the  Ohio,  and  all  movables  were  carried  to  places  of  certain 
safety.  On  April  1st,  the  Government  took  charge  of  the  flood 
situation.  Captain  W.  K.  Naylor  hastened  to  commandeer 
steamboats  and  patrol  the  river  to  pick  up  flood  sufferers. 
Mayor  Charles  Heilman  left  for  Mount  Vernon  to  take 
charge  of  rescue  work  in  that  section. 

Thirty  thousand  persons  within  a  radius  of  ninety  miles 
around  Mount  Vernon  were  calling   for   help  on  April  4th. 

The  Howell  levee,  protecting  two  hundred  families  in 
Ingleside,  between  Evansville  and  Howell,  gave  way  and  the 
Ingleside  district  was  inundated  with  depths  of  from  six  to 
ten  feet.  Minutemen  had  been  posted  all  long  the  dangerous 
dike,  and  when  the  water  began  to  pour  over  the  top  an 
alarm  was  sounded  and  all  escaped. 

SHAWNEETOWN   SUBMERGED 

Shawneetown,  Illinois,  was  entirely  cut  off  from  the  out- 
side world.     On  the  night  of  April  1st,  the  water  in  the  streets 


THE  FLOOD   IN   TEE   OHIO   VALLEY         267 

was  twelve  feet  deep.  After  another  twenty-four  hours,  all 
that  was  left  of  Shawneetown  were  the  few  substantial  brick 
and  stone  buildings  behind  the  main  levee,  and  they  were 
considered  unsafe.  Less  than  one  hundred  persons  remained 
in  the  former  town  of  three  thousand,  and  they  were 
perched  in  the  second  and  third  stories  of  Main  Street  build- 
ings, structures  on  the  highest  street  in  the  town.  A  strong 
wind  completed  the  destruction  begun  by  the  opening  of  the 
levee. 

CAIRO   FACING    CRISIS 

As  usual,  Cairo  feared  the  worst  from  the  on-sweeping  flood 
of  the  Ohio  River.  The  Cairo  executive  flood  committee 
late  on  March  30th  sent  an  appeal  to  President  Wilson  asking 
for  aid  for  Cairo  and  towns  nearby: 

"The  worst  flood  ever  known  in  the  Ohio  Valley  and  the 
Mississippi  is  now  expected.  All  previous  records  at  Cairo 
and  south  may  be  broken  in  a  few  days.  We  are  making 
every  effort  in  our  power  to  take  care  of  local  situation,  but 
the  river  communities  near  us  should  have  assistance.  Boats, 
sacks,  food  and  other  supplies  are  needed.  May  we  not  have 
the  help  of  your  great  office  for  this  district?" 

The  Big  Four  levee,  which  protected  the  "  drainage  district," 
went  out  on  April  1st.  It  was  about  five  miles  north  of  the  city. 
Accordingly,  as  workmen  were  able  to  battle  no  longer  with 
the  levee  situation  in  the  drainage  district,  they  were  brought 
into  Cairo  and  set  to  work  along  the  river  front.  The  state 
troops  were  sent  in  squads  of  five,  each  accompanied  by  a 


26S         THE   FLOOD   IN   THE   OHIO  VALLEY 

policeman,  to  visit  the  rendezvous  of  men  who  were  unwilling 
to  or  had  refused  to  work. 

All  places  of  business  which  did  not  handle  goods  needed  for 
the  comfort  and  necessities  of  the  people  were  closed  in  order 
to  give  opportunity  to  get  out  the  strongest  working  force 
possible.  Employees  of  closed  concerns  responded  willingly 
for  duty  and  reinforced  to  a  great  extent  the  work  along  the 
river  front. 

The  Rev.  M.  M.  Love,  of  the  Methodist  Church,  who  has 
had  charge  of  relief  work  in  former  years,  was  again  at  the 
head  of  the  relief  committee.  He  was  given  about  twenty 
assistants  and  a  temporary  hospital,  which  was  arranged  on  a 
large  wharf  boat  in  the  river. 

The  Seventh  Regiment,  which  had  headquarters  in  St. 
Mary's  Park,  moved  its  equipment  into  another  large  wharf 
boat.  This  placed  all  the  quarters  of  troops  on  boats.  About 
one  half  of  the  population  had  left  the  city.  They  were  chiefly 
women  and  children. 

SITUATION   HOURLY   WORSE 

On  the  evening  of  April  2d,  the  city  was  in  a  state  of  anxiety 
never  before  experienced.  The  river  gauge  at  6.30  o'clock 
stood  at  54.4,  a  stage  three-tenths  of  an  inch  higher  than  any 
previous  record. 

The  inundation  of  the  drainage  district  north  of  Cairo  was 
complete.  The  flood  waters  were  on  a  level  with  those  in  the 
Ohio  River,  and  were  prevented  from  flooding  into  the  Mis- 
sissippi only  by  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  levee.     There  were  from 


THE   FLOOD   IN   THE   OHIO  VALLEY         269 

7,000  to  9,000  acres  from  seven  to  twenty  feet  under  water. 
The  greater  number  of  industrial  plants  in  the  section  were 
submerged  up  to  the  second-story  windows,  and  many  houses 
were  completely  under  water.  For  more  than  a  mile  beyond 
the  Illinois  Central  tracks  and  for  several  miles  to  the  north 
from  the  big  levee  surrounding  the  district  from  Cairo  there 
was  nothing  which  was  not  touched  by  the  vast  field  of  water. 
Offers  of  relief,  which  were  made  by  the  Chicago  Association 
of  Commerce  and  the  city  of  Peoria  to  Cairo,  on  April  5th, 
were  accepted.  The  Chicago  organization  offered  eight  boats 
and  sixty  men  to  man  them.  From  Peoria  came  word  that  a 
steamboat  equipped  for  life-saving  purposes  was  waiting  for  a 
call  to  Cairo. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  Flood  in  the  Mississippi  Valley 

flood  of  the  mississippi  inevitable — southeastern  mis- 
souri threatened — bad  break  in  levee  at  hickman — 
strengthening  the  levees — memphis  in  peril — danger 
all  along  the  line — river  at  record  stage — rising 
hope — a  national  problem. 

N  March  30th  the  Mississippi  Valley  was  facing  one 
of  the  worst  floods  in  its  history,  and  the  steady 
advance  of  the  river  threatened  a  large  section  of 
country.  The  breaking  of  the  levees  along  the  Mississippi 
itself,  an  inevitable  result  of  the  great  floods  in  tributary 
streams,  had  already  begun.  The  district  below  St.  Louis 
was  a  foot  or  more  above  the  flood  stage,  although  the  big 
rise  had  not  arrived.  Preparations  were  being  made  to 
withstand  a  flood  equal  to  that  of  1912.  Although  the 
levees  had  been  made  higher  in  some  places,  it  was  not  to 
be  expected  that  they  would  be  strong  enough  all  along  the 
river  from  St.  Louis  to  the  sea.  In  the  lower  sections  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  it  was  feared  there  might  be  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  recent  disasters  in  Ohio. 
At  Charleston,  Missouri,  on  March  30th,  the  flood  condi- 

(270) 


IN    THE    MISSISSIPPI   VALLEY  271 

tions  were  growing  more  acute  every  hour.  The  city  was 
filled  with  refugees  from  all  directions.  Belmont  and  Crosno, 
on  the  Mississippi  River,  south  of  Charleston,  were  submerged, 
and  the  residents  fleeing  to  places  of  safety. 

East  Prairie,  Anniston  and  Wyatt,  on  the  Cotton  Belt 
Railroad,  were  shut  off  from  the  world  and  obliged  to  receive 
mail  through  the  Charleston  post-office. 

SOUTHEASTERN    MISSOURI    THREATENED 

The  St.  Louis  and  San  Francisco  embankment  between 
Kilbourne  and  Kewanee,  in  the  extreme  southeastern  part  of 
Missouri,  was  cut  early  on  April  5th  at  the  direction  of  the 
railway  officials  to  prevent  the  flooding  of  a  large  section  of 
the  track  if  the  levee  should  break  at  a  weak  spot.  The  gap 
permitted  the  drainage  of  a  large  volume  of  overflow. 

One  of  the  most  thrilling  of  the  stories  was  brought  by 
Captain  S.  A.  Martin  and  Captain  H.  A.  Jamieson,  of  the 
Sixth  Missouri  National  Guard.  They  were  rescued  in  a 
launch  from  a  section  of  levee  which  broke  away  at  Bird 
Point,  Missouri. 

Thirty-six  of  their  men,  they  said,  were  on  the  levee  sec- 
tion, which  was  two  hundred  yards  long  and  ten  feet  wide, 
and  was  floating  down  the  Mississippi. 

Commander  McMunn,  of  the  Naval  Reserves,  at  once 
arranged  for  a  steam  launch  and  started  out  to  rescue  the 
Missouri  soldiers.  There  was  a  swift  current  in  the  river, 
and  the  safety  of  the  men  caused  their  commanding  officer 
much  anxiety. 


272  IN    THE    MISSISSIPPI    VALLEY 

BAD    BREAK    IN    LEVEE    AT    HICKMAN 

The  levee  at  Hickman,  Kentucky,  broke  shortly  after 
midday  on  April  4th,  after  a  night  of  continuous  rain,  fol- 
lowed by  a  driving  up-stream  wind,  flooding  the  factory  dis- 
trict but  causing  no  loss  of  life. 

The  break,  however,  did  not  relieve  the  river  situation  at 
other  points,  because  the  water  running  through  the  break 
there  was  turned  back  to  the  main  stream  by  the  Govern- 
ment or  Reelfoot  levee,  two  miles  below  the  town.  The 
section  flooded  was  occupied  by  several  factories  and  the 
homes  of  hundreds  of  workmen. 

STRENGTHENING    THE    LEVEES 

All  along  the  Mississippi  men  were  at  work  strengthening 
the  levees.  The  Government  on  March  29th  prepared  to 
rush  20,000  empty  sacks  to  Modoc  and  other  weak  points 
in  the  St.  Francis  levee  district.  They  were  loaded  on  barges 
belonging  to  the  Tennessee  Construction  Company  of  Mem- 
phis. The  boats,  which  were  from  one  hundred  and  forty  to 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  length,  were  used  to  house 
Arkansas  convicts  sent  from  Little  Rock  to  do  levee  work. 

This  trouble  was  felt  in  many  places  when  the  rising  tide 
threatened  life  and  property.  Industrial  anarchy  and  chaos 
reigned,  and  overwhelming,  paralyzing  fear  seized  the  people. 

MEMPHIS    IN    PERIL 

On  April  5th  the  protection  levee  along  Bayou  Gayoso 
gave  way,  flooding  a  small  residence  section  in  the  northern 
portion  of  Memphis. 


IN    THE    MISSISSIPPI    VALLEY  273 

The  break  occurred  at  a  point  just  west  of  the  St.  Joseph 
Hospital,  and  within  an  hour  several  blocks  of  houses  in  the 
poorer  section  of  the  city  had  been  flooded. 

Before  night  a  section  of  the  city  three  blocks  wide  and 
six  to  nine  blocks  long  was  covered  with  from  three  to  six 
feet  of  water. 

DANGER    ALL    ALONG    THE    LINE 

The  banks  at  Hopefield  Point  early  began  to  cave  in. 
More  than  an  acre  slid  into  the  water  just  south  of  the  point. 
The  main  shore  line  began  to  crumble,  indicating  that  the 
oncoming  high  water  would  wash  more  than  half  the  old 
point  away. 

Gangs  of  men  were  busy  working  the  north  levee  in  Helenaf 
Arkansas. 

Major  T.  C.  Dabney,  of  the  upper  Mississippi  levee  dis- 
trict, sent  out  crews  to  raise  the  lowest  places.  Major  Dab- 
ney  did  not  anticipate  great  trouble,  but  said  he  believes  in 
being  prepared. 

A  break  in  the  levee  in  Holly  Bush  and  Mounds,  Arkansas, 
in  April,  1912,  put  all  the  west  bank  lines  out  of  commission 
for  ten  days.  Miles  of  track  were  washed  away.  Fearing 
a  repetition  of  this,  the  railroads  and  shippers  agreed  to 
operate  a  daily  boat  between  Memphis  and  Helena. 

The  first  break  in  the  main  Mississippi  River  levee  occurred 
on  April  8th  on  the  Arkansas  side,  just  south  of  Memphis. 
Three  counties  were  flooded  by  water  which  poured  through 
a  big  cut  in  the  wall.     No  loss  of  life  was  reported,   the 

18 


274  IN   THE    MISSISSIPPI    VALLEY 

inhabitants  having  been  warned  in  time  that  the  levee  was 
weakening. 

RIVER   AT   RECORD    STAGE 

It  was  predicted  that  the  Mississippi  River  from  Vicks- 
burg,  Mississippi,  to  the  Gulf  would  go  two  feet  higher  than 
the  highest  stage  reported  in  1912,  according  to  a  flood 
warning  issued  by  Captain  C.  0.  Sherrill,  United  States  Army 
Engineer,  on  April  2d. 

In  1912  the  maximum  of  the  river  gauge  at  New  Orleans 
showed  nearly  twenty-two  feet.  At  that  height,  and  even 
with  the  tide  reduced  by  several  immense  crevasses,  waters 
came  over  the  New  Orleans  levees  at  a  number  of  places, 
despite  the  fact  that  they  were  topped  with  several  rows  of 
sandbags. 

Captain  Sherrill  ascribed  the  unprecedented  flood  entirety 
to  the  rains  in  the  river  bed  caused  by  last  year's  crevasses. 
He  issued  orders  to  have  the  levees  from  Vicksburg  to  Fort 
Jackson  on  both  sides  raised  above  the  flood  stage  of  1912, 
and  men  and  material  were  sent  to  all  points  along  the  river 
to  combat  the  expected  high  water  in  the  lower  Mississippi. 

Colonel  Townsend,  head  of  the  Mississippi  River  Commis- 
sion, ten  days  previously  predicted  a  stage  as  high  as  that 
of  1912,  and  sent  out  warnings  to  all  engineers  in  the  valley. 
It  was  acting  upon  his  advice  that  Captain  Sherrill  began  to 
assemble  barges,  quarter  boats,  bags,  material  and  tools  to 
be  sent  to  points  between  Vicksburg  and  New  Orleans  for 
possible  emergencies. 


IN    THE    MISSISSIPPI    VALLEY  275 

In  explaining  why  the  river  from  Vicksburg  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river  would  be  higher  than  last  year,  Captain  Sherrill 
pointed  to  the  fact  that  crevasses  both  below  and  above 
the  stretch  in  1912  lo wered  the  river  there,  whereas  upon 
the  present  rise,  with  levees  expected  to  confine  the  water, 
the  crest  naturally  would  be  higher.  Because  of  this  fact 
the  brunt  of  the  high  water  was  expected  to  strike  that 
stretch,  and  any  possible  trouble  to  be  looked  for  could  be 
expected  there,  although  the  levees  between  Old  River  and 
Baton  Rouge  might  also  be  in  danger. 

RISING   HOPE 

The  hopes  of  the  people  began  to  rise  as  they  learned  that 
the  entire  Mississippi  levee  system  was  to  be  made  two  feet 
higher  than  the  record  of  the  flood  last  year.  It  was  expected 
the  work  would  be  completed  before  the  crest  of  the  Ohio 
River  flood  reached  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley. 

On  receipt  of  reports  that  two  hundred  families  had  been 
driven  from  their  homes  in  the  lowlands  of  the  Atchafalaya 
River,  near  Breaux  Bridge,  Louisiana,  owing  to  high  water, 
and  were  in  a  destitute  condition,  local  relief  committees 
from  New  Orleans  rushed  a  large  quantity  of  supplies  to  that 
section. 

The  appeal  said  if  immediate  aid  was  not  received  it  was 
feared  many  would  die  of  starvation.  Inhabitants  of  the 
district  were  principally  foreigners,  who  had  reclaimed  a  part 
of  their  truck  farms,  which  were  destroyed  by  last  year's 
flood.     Their  newly  planted  crops  were  abandoned. 


276  IN    THE    MISSISSIPPI    VALLEY 

A   NATIONAL   PROBLEM 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  Mississippi  has  done  as  much 
to  kill  the  old  doctrine  of  states'  rights  as  any  other  influence. 
For  instance,  Louisiana,  after  spending  thirt}'  millions  of  dol- 
lars on  river  problems,  was  quite  willing  to  concede  that  the 
Mississippi  was  a  national  affair  and  that  Federal  aid  was 
altogether  desirable.  But  it  is  plain  that  the  resources  of  the 
individual  states  as  well  as  of  the  nation  must  be  utilized 
for  the  prevention  of  floods.  This  is  a  task  so  vast  that  a 
united  effort  is  required. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

Damage  to  Transportation,  Mail  and  Telegraph 

Facilities 

great  damage  and  washouts — tickets  sold  subject  t*» 
delay — reports  of  tracks  gone — pennsylvania  rail- 
road a  heavy  sufferer — heavy  loss  on  baltimore  anj> 
ohio — estimated  damage — flood  played  havoc  witf 
mails — general  pp9strati0n  of  telegraph  and  te£ 
ephone  wires. 

NLY  one  railroad  was  working  between  New  York  anc1 
Chicago  on  the  night  of  Wednesday,  March  26tb 
That  was  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern 
Over  the  line  were  speeding  the   trains  of  the  New  York 
Central  and  allied  lines,   the  Pennsylvania,   the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio,  and  the  Erie,  passenger  and  freight  service  com 
bined.     Many  trains  were  derailed  in  flooded  territories. 

The  following  bulletin  was  given  out  at  the  office  of  W.  C 
Brown,  president  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad: 

"The  main  line  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern 
Railway  to  Chicago  is  not  affected  to  any  extent  by  the  heavj 
rains,  and  trains  are  departing  practically  on  schedule  betweer 
New  York  and  Chicago. 

(277) 


27S  DAMAGE  TO  TRANSPORTATION 

"The  situation  south  of  the  Lake  Shore  line,  however,  is 
serious  and  no  trains  are  being  started  out  of  Cleveland  for 
Indianapolis,  St.  Louis,  Dayton,  Cincinnati  and  intermediate 
points.  Through  passengers  for  Columbus  are  being  trans- 
ferred at  New  London,  Ohio,  and  handled  through  to  desti- 
nation." 

TICKETS    SOLD    SUBJECT   TO   DELAY 

Trains  went  out  of  the  Grand  Central  Station  of  New  York 
just  the  same,  but  no  through  western  ticket  was  sold  unless 
the  purchaser  was  informed  that  it  must  be  accepted  subject 
to  delay.  When  the  Southwestern  Limited  left  at  four  o'clock 
its  ordinary  Cincinnati  sleeper  had  been  renamed  the  Colum- 
bus sleeper  and  the  Cincinnati  man  had  to  take  a  chance. 
When  its  other  western  expresses  went  forth  the  other  Ohio, 
St.  Louis  and  southern  sleepers  were  all  running  on  conditions. 

REPORTS    OF   TRACKS    GONE 

The  Erie  Railroad  west  of  Olean,  the  main  line,  was  out 
of  commission.  According  to  reports  received,  there  were 
at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty  washouts  along  that  line 
farther  west,  with  many  bridges  gone.  Some  of  the  washouts 
were  a  mile  in  length  and  with  the  tracks  had  gone  the  road- 
bed. Twenty  trains  bound  west  were  stalled  at  various  points, 
but  all  were  in  big  towns,  so  the  passengers  did   not  suffer. 

PENNSYLVANIA   RAILROAD   A   HEAVY    SUFFERER 

The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  suffered  more  damage  than  any 
other.     The  service  west  of  Pittsburgh  was  badly  crippled. 


DAMAGE  TO  TRANSPORTATION 


279 


All  through  trains  from  the  East  to  points  on  the  Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  Railway  west  of  Pitts- 
burgh were  temporarily  discontinued. 

On  the  lines  East,  in  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburgh,  Oil  City, 
Erie  and  Buffalo,   serious  washouts  developed,   aggregating 


RAILROAD  MAP  OF  THE  FLOODED  DISTRICT  IN  INDIANA,  OHIO  AND  WESTERN 

PENNSYLVANIA 

in  length  on  the  Allegheny  Division,  about  two  thousand  five 
hundred  feet  of  main  track. 

Benjamin  McKeen,  general  manager  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad's  lines  west  of  Pittsburgh,  informed  Broad  Street 
Station,  Philadelphia,  on  Thursday,  that  all  lines  were  blocked 
on  both  passenger  and  freight  service,  except  between  Pitts- 
burgh and  Cleveland  by  way  of  Alliance. 


280  DAMAGE  TO  TRANSPORTATION 

"  We  are  gradually  getting  our  lines  of  communication  estab- 
lished so  that  our  information  seems  a  little  more  definite, 
although  the  lines  are  working  very  unsatisfactorily  yet  at 
many  points. 

"We  have  now  gotten  the  Fort  Wayne  road  open  from 
Chicago  to  Mansfield  with  single  track  over  the  points  where 
the  breaks  were,  and  we  are  actively  at  work,  both  east  and 
west,  for  a  distance  of  about  seventy  miles  between  Canton 
and  Mansfield,  where  there  are  four  bridges  gone  and  quite  a 
number  of  washouts,  and  the  best  figures  we  have  now  are 
that  we  will  probably  get  the  Fort  Wayne  line  open  by  Mon- 
day morning. 

"We  have  found  out  definitely  that  our  bridge  at  Piqua  is 
still  standing,  although  there  are  vast  washouts  at  each  side 
of  it.  We  also  know  definitely  that  our  bridge  at  Dayton  is 
gone;  also  the  four-span  bridge  over  the  Muskingum 
River  at  Zanesville  is  gone  and  there  is  some  question  as  to 
whether  our  bridge  over  the  Scioto  River  at  Circleville  is  gone 
or  not,  as  we  have  no  definite  information  on  this. 

"We  have  men  and  material  all  assembled  and  starting 
actively  at  work  here  and  there  wherever  the  water  has  receded 
sufficiently  to  permit  us." 

On  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  alone  the  loss  amounted  to 
millions  of  dollars.  There  was  not  only  the  tremendous  loss 
clue  to  the  loss  of  tracks,  roadbed  and  bridges,  but  also  the 
loss  of  passenger  and  freight  revenues.  Everywhere  it  was 
conceded  that  the  tie-up  was  the  most  serious  and  extensive 
in  the  history  of  the  road. 


DAMAGE  TO  TRANSPORTATION  281 

HEAVY    LOSS    ON    BALTIMORE    AND    OHIO 

The  financial  loss  to  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
aggregated  millions  of  dollars  in  the  destruction  of  property 
alone. 

President  Willard  was  asked  on  Thursday  for  an  estimate 
of  the  damage  wrought  by  the  floods.     His  reply  was: 

"I  cannot  tell.  I  haven't  an  idea.  I  wish  I  could  say  that 
it  would  be  $2,000,000,  but  I  cannot. 

"I  know  that   half  a  dozen    bridges    on    the    Cincinnati, 

Hamilton  and  Dayton  have  been  destroyed  and  bridges  on 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  have  been  washed  awa}^.  We  have 
lost  one  of  our  largest  bridges  on  the  main  road  to  Chicago, 
at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  it  will  probably  be  six  months  be- 
fore we  will  have  another  completed  bridge  there,  although 
we  will  have  some  bridge  there  soon.  We  hope  to  have  our 
main  line  to  Chicago  open  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  our 
main  line  to  Cincinnati  open  in  the  same  time.  We  cannot 
tell  when  we  will  have  our  line  to  St.  Louis  open." 

ESTIMATED   DAMAGE 

Conservative  estimates  of  the  damage  to  railroad  property 
in  the  flooded  Middle  West,  plus  the  loss  entailed  by  the 
suspension  of  traffic,  ranged  from  $10,000,000  to  $15,000,000. 

The  entire  railway  system  of  Ohio  and  Indiana  was  prac- 
tically put  out  of  business  for  five  days  by  the  floods  in  the 
Middle  West.  To  repair  and  replace  the  railways  affected 
by  this  disaster,  railway  officials  stated,  would  practically 
wipe  out  the  surplus  earnings  of  many  railroads.     In  other 


282  DAMAGE  TO  TRANSPORTATION 

cases  dividends  were  threatened.  The  reason  was,  they  said, 
that  all  such  damage  must  be  retrieved  out  of  current  earnings 
and  could  not  be  charged  to  capital. 

As  an  illustration  of  how  the  railroads  spend  money  in 
such  an  emergency,  it  may  be  said  that  the  Pennsylvania 
sent  one  hundred  and  fifty  expert  bridge  builders  out  West 
from  New  York  in  one  day  soon  after  the  flood.  These  men 
received  record  wages;  they  traveled  in  sleepers,  with  special 
dining  cars.  The  company  was  sending  steam-shovels  and 
pile-drivers  on  limited  trains  and  a  first-class  laborer  could 
get  a  private  compartment  quicker  than  could  a  financier. 

"  There  will  be  improvements  in  railroading  through  all 
the  districts  every  day  from  now  on,  but  there  will  not  be 
anything  like  a  restoration  of  former  conditions  for  months," 
said  one  railroad  official.  "It  takes  time  to  rebuild  steel 
bridges,  especially  as  the  big  steel  plants  have  been  expe- 
riencing a  little  trouble  of  their  own." 

FLOOD   PLAYED   HAVOC   WITH   MAILS 

Storm,  flood  and  fire  in  the  Middle  West  played  havoc 
with  the  United  States  mails.  Postmaster-General  Burleson 
announced  on  March  26th  that  the  destruction  wrought  by 
the  floods  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  was  so  serious  that  it  would 
be  ten  or  twelve  days  before  a  regular  mail  service  could  be 
resumed  with  the  remote  districts. 

Reports  showed  that  never  before  in  the  history  of  the 
service  had  there  been  such  a  serious  interruption  to  the 
mails  on  account  of  floods.     There  was  practically  no  local 


QOr> 


DAMAGE  TO  TRANSPORTATION  28 

service  on  the  railroads  in  the  territory  bounded  by  Cleve- 
land, Toledo,  Columbus,  Cincinnati,  Indianapolis,  Terre 
Haute  and  the  Ohio  River. 

Mails  to  New  York  from  points  in  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee, from  Pittsburgh  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  all  points 
south  of  the  Ohio  River  came  by  way  of  Washington  and 
were  from  five  to  seven  hours  late.  The  Arkansas  and 
Oklahoma  mails  traveled  by  way  of  Chattanooga  and 
Memphis. 

The  representatives  in  the  field  were  directed  to  be  in 
constant  communication  with  the  department  at  Washington 
and  to  make  every  effort  to  supply  the  people  in  the  flood 
districts  with  mail  as  rapidly  as  arrangements  could  be  com- 
pleted. Mails  for  distant  points  which  regularly  passed 
through  the  flooded  sections  were  detoured  north  and  south, 
resulting  in  unavoidable  delay. 

GENERAL  PROSTRATION  OF  TELEGRAPH  AND  TELEPHONE  WIRES 

Never  before  in  the  history  of  the  United  States  was  there 
such  a  general  prostration  of  telegraph  and  telephone  wires 
as  during  the  great  flood.  Chicago  was  "lost"  to  the  East 
for  part  of  a  day,  and  it  was  found  impossible  to  reach  that 
city  via  the  South.  Throughout  eastern  Ohio  service  was 
paralyzed,  and  such  few  wires  as  could  be  obtained  were 
flickering  and  often  going  down. 

The  Western  Union  and  Postal  Telegraph  Companies  in 
New  York  announced  on  March  26th  that  they  did  not  have 
a  wire  working  in  the  thousands  of  square  miles  roughly 


284  DAMAGE  TO  TRANSPORTATION 

marked  by  Indianapolis  on  the  west,  Pittsburgh  on  the  east, 
Cleveland  on  the  north  and  the  Ohio  River  on  the  south.  The 
Postal  had  but  two  wires  working  between  New  York  and 
Chicago  and  these  were  routed  by  way  of  Buffalo.  None 
of  its  wires  south  of  Washington  was  working. 

An  army  of  10,000  men  was  sent  into  the  region  to  repair 
the  wires,  but  their  work  was  almost  impossible  because  of 
the  inability  of  the  railroads  to  transport  their  equipment. 

The  American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company  had 
the  only  facilities  in  the  stricken  sections  and  turned  them 
over  without  reserve  to  the  press  associations,  believing  that 
in  this  manner  the  public  could  best  be  served. 

At  the  offices  of  the  American  Telephone  and  Telegraph 
Company  and  the  Union  Telegraph  Company  in  New  York, 
on  March  28th,  joint  announcement  was  made  as  follows: 

"In  the  use  of  the  necessarily  limited  wire  facilities  reach- 
ing the  flooded  districts  of  Ohio  and  neighboring  states  due 
importance  is  being  given  to  messages  to  and  from  public 
officials,  relief  associations,  the  press  and  to  such  urgent 
messages  as  have  to  do  with  measures  of  relief,  believing 
that  thus  the  public  will  be  best  served  until  full  service 
can  be  restored. 

"  There  has  been  no  time  during  the  past  week  when  the 
combined  facilities  of  the  two  companies  have  not  afforded 
communication  with  the  larger  cities  and  towns,  but  local 
conditions  render  it  impossible  in  many  cases  to  deliver 
telegrams  or  to  make  local  connections  by  telephone." 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

The  Work  of  Relief 

president   wilson    promptly   in    direction — washington 
astir  as  in  time  of  war — backing  of  congress  pledged — 

american  red  cross  to  the  rescue railroads  bravely 

helping — relief  from  states  and  individuals — an  army 

OF   PEACE. 

JIE  sympathetic  response  of  the  American  people 
never  fails  to  measure  up  to  the  summons  of  any 
calamity.  Relief  is  plentiful  and  prompt.  The 
awful  story  of  the  flood  and  tornado  was  no  sooner  told  than 
the  machinery  of  government,  the  organized  forces  of  the 
Red  Cross  and  individual  efforts  in  every  city  within  reach 
were  co-operating  to  provide  succor  and  supplies  to  the  suffer- 
ers. Tents  for  shelter,  cots,  food  by  the  trainload,  hospital 
and  medical  supplies,  were  almost  immediately  on  their  way 
to  the  stricken  district. 

WASHINGTON   ASTIR   AS   IN   TIME    OF   WAR 

The  Federal  Government  was  alive  to  the  needs  of  the 
flooded  districts  of  the  Middle  West  with  activity  that  almost 
surpassed  the  hustle  and  bustle  of  war  times.     Every  depart- 

(285) 


President  Wilson's  Messages 

For  the  Relief  of  the  Stricken  States 

To  Mayor  Dahlman,  of  Omaha: 

"  I  am  deeply  distressed  at  the  news  received  from 
Nebraska.    Can  we  help  you  in  any  way? 

"WOODROW  WILSON." 


To  Governor  Ralston,  of  Indiana, 
and  Governor  Cox,  of  Ohio: 
"I  deeply  sympathize  with  the  people  cf  your  state  in 
the  terrible  disaster  that  has  come  upon  them.     Can  the 
Federal  Government  assist  in  any  way? 

"WOODROW  WILSON." 


To  the  Nation : 

"  The  terrible  floods  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  have  assumed 
the  proportions  of  a  national  calamity.  The  loss  of  life 
and  the  infinite  suffering  involved  prompt  me  to  issue  an 
earnest  appeal  to  all  who  are  able  in  however  small  a  way  to 
assist  the  labors  of  the  American  Red  Cross  to  send  contri- 
butions at  once  to  the  Red  Cross  at  Washington  or  to  the 
local  treasurers  of  the  society. 

"  We  should  make  this  a  common  cause.  The  needs  of 
those  upon  whom  this  sudden  and  overwhelming  disaster 
has  come  should  quicken  everyone  capable  of  sympathy  and 
compassion  to  give  immediate  aid  to  those  who  are  labor- 
ing to  rescue  and  relieve. 

"WOODROW  WILSON." 


THE  WORK  OF  RELIEF  287 

ment  from  the  White  House  down,  directed  its  energies  toward 
the  relief  of  distress  and  suffering  in  Ohio  and  Indiana.  As 
the  result  of  appeals  from  Governor  Cox,  the  American  Red 
Cross  and  others,  President  Wilson  issued  an  appeal  to  the 
nation  at  large  to  help  the  sufferers. 

Indicating  the  gravity  of  the  situation  in  Ohio,  a  telegram 
from  Governor  Cox  was  received  by  Secretary  of  War 
Garrison  asking  for  food  and  medical  supplies  and  tents  for 
the  sufferers. 

Secretary  Garrison  promptly  took  steps  to  meet  the  emer- 
gency, and  the  supplies  requested  were  sent  by  express  to 
Columbus.  The  two  experienced  officers  who  handled  the 
Mississippi  flood  situation,  Majors  Normoyle  and  Logan,  were 
also  ordered  to  proceed  to   Columbus  to  aid  Governor  Cox. 

All  troops  in  Western  New  York  and  all  available  troops 
in  the  Central  Department  were  ordered  to  hold  themselves 
in  readiness  to  proceed  to  relief  work  in  Ohio  and  Indiana, 
if  needed. 

President  Wilson  issued  his  appeal  for  funds  for  the  Red 
Cross  following  a  conference  with  Miss  Mabel  Boardman, 
chairman  of  the  relief  board  of  the  organization. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  enlisted  promptly  in  the 
relief  movement,  and  the  public  health  service  and  the  life- 
saving  service  and  marine  hospital  surgeons  available  were 
placed  at  the  command  of  the  state  authorities.  The  pub- 
lic health  hospitals  at  Detroit,  Cleveland,  Louisville,  Cairo, 
Evansville  and  St.  Louis  were  thrown  open  for  the  care  of  the 
flood  victims.    Surgeons  P.  W.  Wille,  of  the  Marine  Hospital 


288  THE   WORK   OF  RELIEF 

at  Cleveland,  was  instructed  to  go  to  Columbus  to  co-operate 
with  the  state  board  of  health.  Dr.  J.  0.  Cobb,  of  the 
Chicago  Marine  Hospital,  was  ordered  to  Indianapolis. 

BACKING    OF    CONGRESS   PLEDGED 

The  President  was  in  his  office  all  day  Wednesday,  March 
26th,  in  close  touch  with  the  situation.  He  apprised  the 
chairmen  of  the  Senate  and  House  appropriations  committees 
that  the  government  was  going  ahead  with  emergenc}^  expen- 
ditures on  the  assumption  that  Congress  would  back  up  the 
administration  later.  Both  promised  hearty  support,  and 
orders  went  out  on  every  side  for  a  gigantic  work  of  relief. 

Major  P.  C.  Fauntleroy  was  sent  to  Columbus  to  handle 
the  medical  supplies.  Nine  medical  officers  and  fifty-four 
hospital  corps  men  went  from  the  Department  of  the 
East  carrying  a  big  supply  of  surgical  dressings,  anti-typhoid 
prophylactics  and  the  complete  "  reserve  medical  supply" 
comprising  hundreds  of  drugs  sufficient  to  treat  20,000  patients 
for  one  month.  Precautions  against  the  spread  of  disease 
were  to  be  handled  by  sanitation  experts. 

Life-saving  crews  were  ordered  from  Louisville  to  Dayton 
and  from  Lorain,  Ohio,  to  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  the  public 
health  service  distributed  its  agents  over  the  afflicted  districts. 

SUPl"  ON    THE    WAY 

By  Friday  more  than  double  the  apparently  necessary 
medical  supplies  for  the  flood  sufferers  were  on  their  way  to 
Ohio  and  Indiana,  a  full  quota  of  supplies  having  b<  <  n  start<  >: 


THE  WORK  OF  RELIEF  289 

from  the  army  supply  warehouses  at  St.  Louis  and  a  second 
consignment  from  Washington. 

From  the  naval  stores  a  huge  consignment  of  wearing 
apparel  and  bedding  for  the  sufferers  was  sent  to  Columbus. 
These  supplies  were  started  from  the  naval  stores  at  New 
York.  Paymaster-General  Cowie  made  the  arrangements 
under  orders  from  Secretary  of  the  Navy  Daniels.  The 
shipment  included  12,000  blankets  7,000  watch  caps,  50,000 
pairs j)f  light  weight  drawers,  80,000  light  weight  undershirts, 
30,000  heavy  weight  drawers,  30,000  heavy  weight  shirts, 
4,200  navy  jerseys,  15,000  khaki  jumpers,  24,000  pairs  of 
dungaree  trousers,  8,000  overcoats,  24,000  pairs  of  shoes  and 
15,000  pairs  of  woolen  socks. 

In  addition  to  the  clothing  supply  the  Navy  sent  also  300,000 
rations  on  the  way  to  Columbus  and  Dayton.  Paymaster 
Nesbit  and  Paymaster's  Clerk  Conell  were  in  charge  of  the 
distribution.  Assistant  Secretary  Roosevelt  supplied  them 
with  $25,000  in  currency  with  full  authority  to  expend  it  for 
such  supplies  and  services  as  they  might  find  necessary.* 

For  a  time  President  Wilson  considered  going  himself  to 
the  flood  districts;  but  reports  from  Secretary  Garrison  and 
others  were  so  encouraging  that  he  decided  it  was  unnecessary. 

"Refreshed  by  the  tears  of  the  American  people,  Ohio 
stands  ready  from  today  to  meet  the  crisis  alone,"  wrote 
Governor  Cox  of  Ohio  on  March  31st. 

After  seeing  the  situation  well  in  hand  in  Dayton,  Secretary 
Garrison  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  then  proceeded  to  Colum- 
bus.     By  April  2d  he  was  able  to  return  to  Washington. 

19 


290  THE   WORK  OF  RELIEF 

AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  TO  THE  RESCUE 

From  the  first  day  when  Miss  Mabel  T.  Boardman  conferred 
with  President  Wilson,  the  American  Red  Cross  and  the 
government  worked  hand  in  hand.  At  headquarters  of 
the  National  Red  Cross  funds  from  all  quarters  of  the  Union 
rained  in  on  the  officials.  Friday  night  the  Red  Cross  head- 
quarters had  received  more  than  $190,000  in  cash  and  drafts, 
and  basing  their  estimates  on  telegraphic  advices  from  other 
points,  they  were  assured  that  their  total  already  exceeded 
$350,000.  Boston  sent  in  $32,000,  Cleveland  $33,000  sub- 
ject to  call.  Baltimore  notified  Miss  Boardman  to  draw  on 
the  local  chapter  of  the  order  for  $7,000.  New  York  reported 
$75,000  in  hand  and  the  District  of  Columbia  chapter  had 
more  than  $25,000  ready  for  instant  use.  Henry  C.  Frick 
sent  a  check  for  $10,000  and  John  D.  Rockefeller  $5,000, 
with  the  suggestion  that  more  was  ready  when  needed. 

With  Miss  Boardman  at  the  head  of  the  party  the  Red 
Cross  relief  train  left  W'ashingtom  Friday  over!  the  Chesa- 
peake and  Ohio,  bound  for  Columbus. 

The  train  comprised  six  express  coaches,  two  of  which  were 
loaded  with  steel  cots  for  use  of  the  homeless.  Two  others 
were  loaded  with  bedding  and  clothing  supplies  and  two  writh 
foodstuffs  of  all  sorts. 

Hurrying  to  Omaha  to  assist  in  relief  work  in  that  city, 
Ernest  P.  Bicknell,  of  the  American  National  Red  Cross, 
halted  in  Chicago.  Informed  of  the  serious  situation  in  In- 
diana and  Ohio,  he  telegraphed  to  Omaha  and  received  wTord 
that  the  relief  work  was  well  in  hand.     He  then  decided  to  go 


THE  WORK  OF  RELIEF  291 

to  the  flood-stricken  districts  in  Indiana  and  Ohio.  Reaching 
Columbus,  Mr.  Bicknell  had  soon  established  Red  Cross 
headquarters  and  the  corps  under  his  direction  was  working 
in  closest  harmony  with  the  state  flood  relief  committee,  the 
Governor  of  Ohio  and  the  United  States  arnry  and  navy  relief 
officials. 

The  disaster  in  the  Middle  West  was  the  greatest  the  Red 
Cross  Society  was  ever  called  upon  to  deal  with.  The  amount 
of  suffering  entailed  by  the  flood  far  exceeded  that  of  the  San 
Francisco  earthquake  and  fire. 

RAILROADS   BRAVELY   HELPING 

Bravely  the  railroads  worked  their  way  into  the  stricken 
territory.  While  a  blizzard  raged  in  Ohio  from  Cleveland  to 
Cincinnati,  with  the  temperature  down  to  twenty-eight  degrees 
above  zero,  the  railroads — which  means  all  the  railroads  in 
every  section,  the  New  York  Central,  the  Pennsylvania,  the 
Erie,  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio,  and  their  allied  lines — threw 
into  the  battle  thousands  upon  thousands  of  men,  trainload 
after  trainload  of  machinery,  and  money  rewards  as  a  stimulus 
for  the  repair  of  miles  of  washed-out  tracks  and  shattered 
bridges.  Every  division  superintendent  of  every  line  in  the 
district,  his  assistants,  usually  with  some  high  executive 
officer  of  the  system  in  control;  every  man  and  boy  able  to 
handle  a  pick  or  shovel  or  crowbar,  to  carry  his  end  of  a  girder 
or  drag  a  coil  of  rope,  was  out  on  the  job. 

It  was  not  for  any  selfish  purpose  that  the  roads  threw  this 
immense  power  into  the  work.     Their  object  was  to  open  up 


292  THE   WORK   OF   RELIEF 

rail  communication  with  the  desolated  cities,  towns  and  vil- 
lages and  send  relief  trains  with  bread,  with  blankets,  with 
medicines,  doctors  and  nurses.     It  was  not  a  race  for  money. 

"We  will  carry  every  pound  of  supplies  for  the  devastated 
district  free  over  any  lines"  announced  the  Pennsylvania,  and 
it  added  free  passage  for  doctors,  nurses  and  every  other  good 
Samaritan. 

"No  charge,"  was  the  echo  of  the  New  York  Central,  and 
that  order  went  to  every  freight  and  passenger  agent  of  the 
big  system  everywhere.  The  Baltimore  and  Ohio,  the  Erie, 
and  every  other  line  followed  in  an  instant.  The  railroads 
helped  all  they  could. 

RELIEF   FROM   STATES   AND    INDIVIDUALS 

*  If  the  nation  was  generous  and  prompt  in  its  relief,  neigh- 
boring states  and  individuals  were  not  less  so.  Governors  in 
many  states  and  mayors  of  many  cities,  following  the  noble 
example  of  the  President,  issued  appeals  for  help.  Mayor 
Dahlman  of  Omaha  and  Governor  Morehead  of  Nebraska 
bravely  declined  the  help  offered  by  President  Wilson  and 
others  for  sufferers  from  the  tornado;  but  the  flood-stricken 
districts,  for  whom  recovery  was  far  less  easy,  in  many  cases 
were  obliged  to  appeal  for  aid.  From  towns  throughout  Ohio 
and  Indiana  came  desperate  cries  for  help,  and  to  all  of  them 
a  sympathetic  nation  listened  and  responded 

AN   ARMY   OF   PEACE 

-  If  the  great  calamity  stirred  the  hearts  of  the  nation  with 
pity,  so  did  the  prompt  and  splendid  relief  inspire  enthusiasm. 


THE   WORK  OF   RELIEF  293 

Even  though  the  despatch  of  United  States  troops  to  the  scene 
of  devastation  in  the  West  lacked  legal  sanction  the  whole 
country  unanimously  approved  the  movement  which  thus 
itself  becomes  a  signal  to  all  nations,  and  a  corroboration  of 
the  truth  that  the  American  is  not  hidebound  by  fantastic 
traditions  when  some  serious  achievement  is  to  be  done. 
Our  soldiers  in  this  case  for  the  nonce  became  missionaries. 
Under  the  leadership  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  troops  carried 
clothes,  food,  medicaments,  tents,  blankets,  and  in  short 
all  the  paraphernalia  necessary  to  succor  the  distressed, 
assuage  the  pangs  of  suffering  and  restore  normal  conditions 
within  the  wide  areas  battered  by  the  destructive  elements. 

This  peaceful  use  of  our  fighting  men  brings  into  realization 
the  vision  so  strongly  cherished  by  John  Ruskin — the  vision 
of  the  time  when  soldiership  should  develop  into  a  form  of 
modern  kinght-errantry,  and  the  "passion  to  bless  and  save" 
should  inspire  those  who  were  formerly  drilled  only  in  the 
exercises  of  conquest  and  slaughter.  Americans  may  well 
be  proud  to  reflect  that  this  era,  which  a  few  decades  ago 
seemed  but  the  chimerical  dream  of  a  doctrinaire,  has  found 
its  pledge  and  promise  in  the  generous  endeavors  of  our 
standing  army.  *~     >-v 

"  Peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than  war." 
In  narrowing  the  dimension  of  suffering,  and  lending  a  strong 
hand  to  those  overwhelmed  by  calamity,  our  soldiers  raised 
up  the  defeated  from  the  sore  battle  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

Previous  Great  Floods  and  Tornadoes 

the  johnstown  horror — the  galveston  tragedy — the 
mississippi  on  a  rampage — destruction  in  louisville— 
the  st.  louis  tornado. 

FLOODS  are  not  usually  so  dramatic  and  awe-inspiring 
as  tornadoes,  but  they  are  even  more  destructive  of 
life.  The  Johnstown  flood  of  1889,  however,  was 
dramatic  and  even  spectacular — so  swiftly  did  it  come  and 
so  certainly  could  it  have  been  avoided.  It  destroyed  2,235 
lives,  swept  away  ten  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  property, 
and  carried  unutterable  grief  into  countless  happy  homes. 

Lying  in  a  narrow  valley  were  eight  villages,  aggregating 
50,000  to  80,000  inhabitants,  the  largest  of  the  eight  being 
situated  at  the  lower  end,  with  about  25,000  inhabitants. 

Far  up  in  the  mountain,  300  feet  above  the  chief  village 
of  the  valley,  hung  a  huge  body  of  water.  As  nature  had 
designed  it,  this  had  been  a  small  lake  with  natural  outlets, 
which  prevented  it  from  being  a  menace  to  the  valley  below. 
But  the  hand  of  man  sought  to  improve  the  work  of  nature. 
An  immense  dam,  110  feet  in  height,  held  back  the  water  till 
the  lake  was  more  than  quadrupled  in  size. 

1294) 


PREVIOUS   GREAT  FLOODS  295 

THE    SWOLLEN   WATERS 

These  were  the  conditions  on  May  31, 1889.  There  had  been 
heavy  rains  for  several  days.  The  artificially  enlarged  lake 
was  really  a  receiving  reservoir  of  the  water-shed  of  the  Alle- 
ghany Mountains.  Every  little  stream  running  into  it  was 
swollen  to  a  torrent.  The  lake,  which  in  ordinary  times  was 
three  and  a  half  miles  long,  with  an  average  width  of  over  a 
mile,  and  a  depth  in  some  portions  of  100  feet,  was  swollen 
into  a  volume  of  water  of  enormous  proportions.  Between  it 
and  the  valley  below  there  was  a  dam  nearly  1,000  feet  wide, 
100  feet  high,  ninety  feet  thick  at  the  base  and  twenty  at  the 
top.  This  barrier  gave  way  and  the  water  rushed  into  the 
valley  in  a  solid  wave  with  a  perpendicular  front  of  forty  feet. 

It  swept  away  the  seven  smaller  villages  like  straw,  hurled 
them,  together  with  uncounted  thousands  of  their  inhabitants, 
upon  the  larger  village,  and  then,  with  the  accumulated  ruin 
of  the  whole  eight,  dashed  upon  the  stone  bridge  at  the  bottom 
of  the  valley.  The  bridge  withstood  the  shock,  and  a  new  dam, 
as  fateful  with  horror  as  the  first  had  been,  was  formed.  It 
held  back  the  water  so  that  the  whole  valley  was  a  lake  from 
twenty  to  forty  feet  in  depth,  with  the  remains  of  its  villages 
beneath  its  surface.  The  wreckage  of  the  ruined  villages, 
piled  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  high,  against  the  bridge,  spread 
over  a  vast  area,  with  countless  bodies  of  the  living  and  the 
dead  crushed  within  it  and  struggling  for  life  upon  it,  caught 
fire,  and  burned  to  the  water's  edge. 

When  the  flood  came — a  terrific  punishment  for  the  care- 
lessness of  the  past — the  doubters  saw  their  homes  washed 


296  PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS 

\_ 
away,  their  dear  ones  drowned;   in  some  cases  they  did  not 

even  live  to  see  the  extent  of  the  havoc  wrought.     Whole 

families  were  drowned  like  rats;    houses  were  shattered  to 

pieces  or  floated  about  on  the  water  like  wrecked  ships. 

Intolerable  was  the  suffering  that  followed — grief  for  the 

loss  of  dear  ones,  actual  physical  hurt,  hunger  and  want. 

The  problem  for  many  in  the  eight  towns  was  to  begin  life  all 

over — and  that  without  hope.     Immediate  suffering  was  in 

some  measure  prevented  by  the  speedy  help  rendered  by 

neighboring  towns,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  entire 

nation.     But  nothing  could  undo  the  fearful  damage  of  the 

past. 

THE    GALVESTON   TRAGEDY 

Great  as  was  the  Johnstown  flood,  it  shrinks  into  insignifi- 
cance before  the  appalling  hurricane-brought  flood  of  Gal- 
veston, which  devastated  the  city  and  swept  thousands  oi 
its  inhabitants  to  their  death.  There  is  little  in  the  new  city 
which  arose  to  remind  one  of  the  awful  tragedy — unless  it  be 
the  strong  sea-walls  constructed  to  keep  out  future  floods. 
i  The  storm  came  over  the  bay  from  the  gulf  before  day- 
light Saturday  morning,  September  8,  1900.  At  10  a.  m.  the 
inundation  from  the  bay  began,  but  even  then  no  alarm 
was  felt.  The  wind  took  on  new  strength  and  the  waters 
were  carried  four  blocks  through  the  business  section  into 
Market  Street.  Ocean  freighters  dragged  anchors  in  the 
channel  and  were  soon  crashing  against  the  wharves.  The 
wind  reached  the  hurricane  stage,  blowing  at  something 
like  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles    an  hour,  and    buildings 


PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS  297 

began  to  crumble.  By  this  time  the  bay  water  had  reached 
a  high  point  on  Tremont  Street.  The  gulf,  however,  was  quiet. 

Then  a  remarkable  thing  happened.  The  wind  suddenly 
shifted  from  the  north  to  the  southeast,  the  hurricane  in- 
creased in  fury,  and,  picking  up  the  waters  of  the  gulf, 
hurled  them  with  crushing  force  against  the  four  miles  of 
residences  stretched  along  the  beach.  There  was  nothing  in 
the  way  of  protection,  and  houses  were  knocked  over  like  so 
many  toy  structures. 

By  three  o'clock  the  gulf  had  spread  over  the  city  and 
mingled  in  the  streets  with  the  waters  of  the  bay.  The 
violence  of  the  wind  continued.  Higher  and  higher  rose  the 
water.  Buildings  began  to  collapse.  Shrieks  of  agony  were 
heard.  One  family  of  five  took  refuge  in  four  different  houses, 
abandoning  each  in  turn  just  in  time  to  save  themselves. 
Hundreds,  struck  by  the  flying  wreckage,  fell  unconscious 
in  the  water. 

SCENES    OP    HORROR 

When  night  settled  down  over  the  city  the  whole  bay  side 
was  in  process  of  destruction.  Wreckage  was  thrown  with  the 
force  of  a  catapult  against  houses  which  still  offered  resist- 
ance. Electric  light  and  gas  plants  were  flooded  and  the 
city  was  in  darkness. 

In  the  cemeteries  the  dead  of  years  were  washed  from  their 
graves  and  carried  across  to  the  mainland.  A  tramp  steamer 
was  carried  over  to  Virginia  Point,  then  sent  like  a  shot 
through  three  bridges.  The  steamers  " Alamo"  and  "Red 
Cross"  were  dropped  upon  Pelican  Flats,  and  when  the  waves 


298  PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS 

retreated  were  left  high  and  dry  upon  the  sand.  Yachts  and 
sailboats  were  driven  over  the  mainland  and  could  be  seen 
in  the  grass  far  beyond  Texas  City.  Railroad  cars  loaded 
and  empty  were  carried  into  the  bay,  and  miles  of  track  torn 
up  and  washed  away. 

THE    RECEDING    WATERS 

Between  ten  and  eleven  the  wind  fell  and  the  water  began 
to  recede,  almost  as  rapidly  as  it  had  come.  Before  daylight 
the  streets  were  clear  of  water,  but  covered  with  slime  and 
choked  with  wreckage.  It  was  not  necessary  to  go  to  the 
beach  to  find  the  dead.    They  lay  thick  along  the  streets. 

A  Committee  of  Public  Safety  was  organized,1  and  all 
men,  white  and  black,  were  asked  to  assist  in  the  removal  of 
the  dead.  The  superstitious  negroes  refused,  but  were  finally 
compelled  at  the  muzzle  of  guns  to  gather  in  the  bodies.  It 
was  suggested  that  the  burials  be  made  at  sea.  Society  men, 
clubmen,  millionaires,  longshoremen  and  negroes  took  up  the 
work,  loading  the  bodies  on  drays  and  conveying  them  to 
barges.  The  dreadful  procession  lasted  all  of  Sunday  and 
Monday.  Three  barge  loads  of  dead  were  taken  out  to  sea 
and  given  back  to  the  waves.  The  weights,  however,  were 
not  properly  attached,  and  soon  the  corpses  were  back  in  the 
surf,  washing  on  the  beach. 

After  the  storm  the  weather  turned  milder.  By  Monday  the 
city  reeked  with  the  smell  of  a  charnel  house  and  pestilence  was 
in  the  air.  The  bodies  of  dead  animals  lay  in  the  streets; 
the  waters  of  the  bay  and  gulf  were  thick  with  the  dead. 


PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS  299 

All  the  disinfectants  in  the  city  were  quickly  consumed. 
An  earnest  appeal  for  more  was  sent  to  Houston  and  other 
places.  Tuesday  a  general  cremation  of  the  dead  began. 
Trenches  were  dug  and  lined  with  wood.  The  corpses  were 
tossed  in,  covered  with  more  wood,  saturated  with  oil,  and  set 
on  fire.  Later,  bodies  were  collected  and  placed  in  piles  of 
wreckage,  and  the  whole  then  given  to  the  flames.  Men 
engaged  in  this  horrible  task  frequently  found  relatives  and 
friends  among  the  dead.  The  men  wore  camphor  bags  under 
their  noses,  but  frequently  became  so  nauseated  that  they  were 
forced  to  stop  work.  The  fire  purified  the  air,  however, 
and  disinfectants  began  to  come  in  in  answer  to  the  appeal. 
The  streets  were  covered  with  a  solution  of  lime,  and  carbolic 
acid  was  showered  everywhere. 

GALVESTON  NOT  THE  ONLY  SUFFERER 

And  not  only  Galveston  was  a  sufferer  in  this  storm.  For 
fifty  miles  along  the  coast,  on  both  sides  of  the  city,  the  storm 
found  victims.  The  waters  of  the  sea  were  carried  inland  ten 
miles  all  along  the  coast.  The  total  loss  of  life  in  Galveston 
and  near-by  places  amounted  to  9,000;  the  property  damage 
to  $30,000,000. 

THE   MISSISSIPPI   ON   A  RAMPAGE 

"The  Mississippi  River  in  flood,"  says  a  recent  writer,  "takes 
everything  with  it.  To" watch  the  endless  procession  which  the 
swift  current  carries  by  is  to  see  all  the  properties  of  tragedies. 
The  Mississippi  in  flood  is  the  despoiler  of  homes.  Houses 
come  floating  down  the  stream,  outbuildings,  furniture  and 


cJOO  PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS 

myriads  of  smaller  things,  tossed  by  waves  in  the  'runs'  or 
sailing  on  serenely  in  the  broader  stretches.  Great  trees  go  by. 
They  are  evidence  that  the  Mississippi  has  asserted  its  majesty 
somewhere  and  has  cut  a  new  channel  to  please  itself,  eating 
away  bank,  growth,  and  all.  Carcasses  of  cows  and  horses 
and  dogs  float  down  the  stream,  carrying  a  pair  of  buzzards, 
those  scavengers  who  have  so  much  work  to  do  after  the  floods 
have  receded.     It  is  a  terrible  and  a  melancholy  sight." 

* 

THE   FLOOD    OF    1912 

In  April  and  May,  1912,  the  Mississippi  reached  a  height 
never  before  equaled,  and  the  great  river  went  tearing 
through  levee  after  levee  on  its  resolute  course  to  the  sea. 
The  river  reached  a  maximum  width  of  sixty  miles,  killed  1,000 
persons,  rendered  30,000  homeless,  and  caused  damage  to 
the  amount  of  $50,000,000. 

By  April  2d,  Columbus,  Missouri,  was  buried  under  fifteen 
feet  of  water,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  town  residences  were 
wholly  submerged.  New  Madrid  was  not  much  better  off, 
and  Hickman,  Kentucky,  looked  like  a  small  city  of  Venice. 
President  Taft  sent  a  hurry  call  to  Congress  for  half  a  million 
dollars,  and  within  fifteen  minutes  after  his  message  was  read, 
the  lower  house  had  passed  an  appropriation  bill  and  sent  it 
to  the  Senate,  which  laid  everything  else  aside  to  give  it  right 
of  way.  By  April  5th,  the  Reelfoot  Lake  district,  covering 
150  square  miles  of  Kentucky  farm  land,  was  an  inland  lake 
and  the  river  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  had  risen  to  nearly  fifty-four 
feet,  the  average  depth  from  St.  Louis  to  New  Orleans  being 


PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS  301 

ordinarily  but  nine  feet.  Cairo  was  for  days  surrounded  by 
the  torrents  from  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  beating  at  the 
levees,  while  to  the  north  of  the  city  factory  buildings  were 
immersed  to  their  roofs  or  even  entirely  covered.  By  April 
7th,  the  levee  in  Arkansas,  seven  miles  south  of  Memphis, 
had  a  gap  a  mile  long  and  Lake  County,  Tennessee,  had  no 
ground  above  water  but  a  strip  six  miles  long  by  four  wide. 
By  the  middle  of  the  month,  the  levees  at  Panther  Forest, 
Arkansas;  Alsatia,  Louisiana;  and  Roosevelt,  Louisiana,  had 
succumbed,  and  a  thousand  square  miles  of  fertile  plantations 
were  from  five  to  seven  feet  under  water. 

FARMS   AND   PLANTATIONS   SUBMERGED 

Rain-storm  after  rain-storm  caused  the  stream  to  swell, 
undermined  dikes,  and  broke  new  crevasses  all  the  way  from 
Vicksburg  to  New  Orleans.  Hundred  of  farmers  and  their 
families,  a  majority  of  them  negroes,  were  cut  off  and  over- 
whelmed by  the  flood.  For  several  weeks  the  people  of  New 
Orleans  were  under  the  fear  that  a  large  part  of  the  city  might 
be  submerged  and  ruined.  Near  by  vast  sugar  plantations  were 
under  water,  while  the  prosperous  town  of  Moreauville 
was  inundated.  Refugees'  camps  were  established  and  relief 
work  began.  Many  vessels  assisted  the  army.  Pitiful  stories 
of  famished  and  suffering  victims  of  the  flood  were  told,  and 
the  miles  and  miles  of  desolated  country  struck  horror  to  the 
heart.  They  have  a  pregnant  saying  down  there:  "Come 
hell  and  high  water."  Some  day,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  we  are 
going  to  take  the  force  out  of  that  expression. 


302  PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS 

DESTRUCTION    IN   LOUISVILLE 

Disaster  by  tornado  is  not  so  easy  to  avoid  as  disaster  by 
flood.  One  of  the  most  destructive  .storms  of  recent  years  was 
that  which  swept  over  Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  the  evening  of 
March  27, 1890,  killing  113  persons,  injuring  200,  and  destroy- 
ing property  to  the  amount  of  $2,500,000.  The  storm  came 
from  the  southwest  and  cut  a  path  through  the  heart  of  the 
city  three  miles  long  and  nearly  a  half  mile  wide.  Nearly  every 
building  in  its  course  was  leveled  to  the  ground  or  otherwise 
damaged.  Outlying  towns  were  also  devastated  by  the  storm, 
and  flood  calamities  occurred  simultaneously  along  the 
Mississippi. 

About  eight  o'clock  the  storm  was  raging  with  tremendous 
force.  The  rain  fell  in  sheets,  the  lightning  was  constant  and 
vivid,  the  wind  blew  ominously.  The  streets  were  soon  minia- 
ture rivers,  and  telegraph  and  telephone  poles  began  to  snap. 
By  8.30  there  was  alarm  all  over  the  city,  but  before  ad- 
measure of  safety  could  be  adopted  the  body  of  the  mighty 
tempest  dashed  itself  on  the  houses  along  Fifteenth  Street 
and  tore  itself  diagonally  across  the  city,  leaping  the  river  at 
Front  Street  to  Jeffersonville. 

The  passage  across  the  city  was  not  continuous  and  in 
uniform  direction,  but  the  storm  lifted  itself  up,  fell  with 
furious  force  on  a  block,  then  rolled  over  into  adjacent  blocks, 
when  it  rested  a  moment,  then  dashed  furiously  up  and 
forward  again,  launching  to  the  right  and  left  with  demoniacal 
whimsicality. 

Everything    it    touched    suffered.      Church    steeples    fell, 


PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS  303 

crushing  beneath  their  weight  the  buildings  over  which  they 
had  stood  guard.  Wrenching  warehouses  to  fragments  the 
tornado  passed  to  the  river  front,  leaving  a  broad  swath  of 
wreckage  and  dead  bodies.  The  belt  of  destruction  extended 
from  the  west  side  of  Seventh  Street  as  far  as  Ninth  and  Main 
Streets,  and  an  equal  width  across  to  the  point  where  the  city- 
was  first  touched.  Along  this  path  were  demolished  homes 
and  wrecked  business  houses — the  annihilated  work  of  years. 
On  the  river  the  storm  found  full  sway.  The  tawny  water 
of  the  swollen  Ohio  became  a  lake  of  seething  foam.  Steam- 
boat after  steamboat  was  driven  from  its  moorings  and  tossed 
like  a  drop  of  spray  in  the  boiling  stream. 

CITIZENS   MADDENED   WITH    GRIEF 

Almost  immediately  after  the  storm  had  passed  thousands 
crowded  into  the  distressed  district;  maddened  men  and  women 
fought  and  struggled  through  the  debris  trying  to  find  some 
loved  relative  or  friend.  From  every  side  arose  the  groans 
of  the  wounded  and  dying.  About  the  Falls  City  Hotel 
groups  thronged  waiting  for  news. 

Fires  burning  in  several  places  added  to  the  horror,  though 
no  great  damage  was  done  by  these.  Crushed  and  blackened 
ruins  marked  the  spot  of  the  Union  Depot,  which  collapsed 
during  the  storm,  crushing  a  train  which  was  just  ready  to 
depart.  Every  building,  tree  and  telegraph  pole  in  the 
district  struck  was  leveled,  and  almost  all  the  railroads  enter- 
ing the  city  were  obliged  to  suspend  all  passenger  and  freight 
traffic. 


304  .PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS 

: 
.■ 

RESCUE,    RELIEF   AND   RECONSTRUCTION 

'The  work  of  rescuing  the  mangled  dead  was  bravely  carried 
on  the  following  day  and  before  many  hours  the  American 
genius  for  organization,  order  and  action  had  met  the  demands 
of  the  overwhelming  disaster.  While  the  dead  were  still  lying 
awaiting  burial,  plans  were  made  to  rebuild  and  resume  again 
the  work  of  life. 

;  The  local  police  and  militia  kept  order.  The  city  authori- 
ties and  board  of  trade  organized  relief  corps.  The  brave 
spirit  of  self-reliance  triumphed  over  the  appalling  calamity. 
Money  for  relief  was  sent  to  the  city  from  many  sources,  and 
it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  citizens  of  Johnstown,  who  had 
suffered  from  the  great  catastrophe  of  the  previous  year,  were 
among  the  first  to  offer  help.  They  knew  what  desolation 
meant. 

THE    ST.    LOUIS   TORNADO 

A  far  more  terrible  story  of  death  and  destruction  is  that  of 
the  St.  Louis  tornado  of  May  27,  1896,  which  lasted  but 
half  an  hour,  killed  306  persons  and  destroyed  property  to 
the  amount  of  $12,000,000. 

The  same  tornado  visited  many  places  in  Missouri  and 
Illinois,  causing  an  additional  property  loss  of  $1,000,000. 

The  sky  grew  black  at  4  p.  m.,  the  sun  was  eclipsed  in  the 
whirl  of  driving  dust  and  dirt,  mingled  with  the  branches  and 
leaves  of  trees,  the  boards  of  buildings  and  other  loose  material 
torn  off  by  the  wind.  At  times  the  wind  blew  eighty  miles 
an  hour.  In  that  mad  half  hour,  while  property  was  crum- 
bling and  hundreds  of  human  lives  being  snuffed  out,  thousands 


PREVIOUS   GREAT  FLOODS  3C5 

of  maimed  and  bleeding  persons  were  added  to  the  awful 
harvest  of  devastation. 

FREAK   DESTRUCTION 

Over  in  East  St.  Louis,  where  the  houses  were  all  frail 
structures,  the  destruction  was  greatest.  The  great  Eads 
Bridge  was  twisted  all  out  of  shape,  and  freight  cars  were 
tossed  to  and  fro,  tumbled  into  ditches  and  driven  sometimes 
into  the  fields  many  yards  from  where  they  had  stood.  The 
great  Vandalia  freight  house  fell  in  a  heap  of  utter  ruin,  bury- 
ing beneath  it  thirty-five  men  who  had  there  sought  refuge. 

The  swath  cut  was  three  blocks  wide  and  four  miles  long. 
The  top  of  the  bridge  was  knocked  off  as  well  as  the  big  abut- 
ment. The  Martell  House  was  blown  into  the  Cokokia  Creek 
and  many  were  buried  in  the  ruins. 

To  add  to  the  horrors  of  the  night  the  electric-light  plants 
were  rendered  incapable  of  service,  and  the  gas  lamps  were 
also  shut  off,  leaving  the  city  in  utter  darkness.  Fire  broke 
out  in  several  portions  of  the  city,  and  the  fire  department 
was  unable  to  make  an  effective  fight  because  of  the  choked 
condition  of  the  streets  and  the  large  number  of  firemen  who 
were  engaged  in  the  imperative  work  of  rescuing  the  dead 
and  wounded. 

ANNIHILATION 

The  City  Hospital,  which  fortunately  survived  the  storm, 
was  filled  to  overflowing  with  the  injured.  In  addition  to 
those  who  were  killed  in  their  houses  and  in  the  streets,  scores 
of  dead  were  carried  away  by  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi 

20 


306  PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS 

River.  Many  steamers  on  the  levee  went  down  in  the  storm. 
From  the  "Great  Republic,"  one  of  the  largest  steamers  on 
the  lower  river,  not  a  man  escaped.  The  word  " annihilation'' 
is  perhaps  the  only  one  that  can  adequately  describe  the  awful 
work  of  the  tornado. 

The  rising  of  the  sun  in  the  morning  revealed  a  scene  of 
indescribable  horror.  The  work  of  carrying  out  the  maimed 
and  dead  immediately  began,  but  it  was  a  task  of  big  propor- 
tions, as  many  bodies  were  totally  buried  under  the  debris. 
Hundreds  of  families  were  rendered  homeless,  and  the  business 
portion    of   the    community   was   almost    in   absolute   ruin. 

Lack  of  food  added  to  the  misery.  Bread  sold  for  fifteen 
cents  a  loaf.  A  large  number  of  military  tents  were  shipped 
into  the  city  and  many  families  found  shelter  in  freight  yards. 
The  Ohio  and  Mississippi  railroad  companies  issued  permits 
for  the  use  of  their  empty  cars.  Contributions  to  aid  in  the 
work  of  rebuilding  and  relief  were  received  and  the  city 
council  voted  $100,000. 

I  It  was  several  weeks  before  the  city  began  to  resume  a 
normal  existence.  The  presence  of  armed  men  and  endless 
piles  of  debris,  the  suspension  of  traffic,  the  grief  for  departed 
dear  ones,  and  the  sight  of  the  many  injured,  all  contributed 
to  a  condition  of  solemnity  and  sorrow.  "The  memory  of  the 
strange  and  awful  scenes  that  have  been  presented  by  East 
St.  Louis  for  the  past  three  days,"  said  one  clergyman  of  the 
city,  "will  live  in  the  minds  of  its  inhabitants  for  years.  But 
our  people  are  too  courageous  and  energetic  to  be  deterred 
from  repairing  the  physical  havoc  wrought." 


PREVIOUS  GREAT  FLOODS  307 

PKEVIOUS   GREAT   DISASTERS 

Floods 

Johnstown,  Pa.,  breaking  of  the  Conemaugh  dam,  May  31, 
1889;  2,235  killed. 

Galveston,  Tex.,  tidal  wave,  September  8,  1900;  9,000 
killed. 

Mississippi  Valley,  May,  1912;   1,000  killed. 

Wind  Storms 

Adams  County,  Miss.,  May  7,  1840;  317  killed.  Same 
comity,  June,  1842;  500  killed. 

Louisville,  Ky.,  March  27,  1890;  113  killed,  200  injured; 
property  loss,  $2,500,000. 

Cherokee,  Buena  Vista  and  Pocahontas  Counties,  Iowa, 
July  6,  1893,  89  killed;   property  loss,  $250,000. 

Little  Rock,  Ark.,  October  2,  1894;  4  killed;  property  loss, 
$500,000. 

Denton  and  Grayson  Counties,  Tex.,  May  15,  1896;  78 
killed  and  150  injured;  property  loss,  $165,000. 

St.  Louis  and  East  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  27,  1896;  306 
identified  killed;  property  loss,  $12,000,000.  Same  tornado 
visited  many  places  in  Missouri  and  Illinois,  causing  an 
additional  property  loss  of  $1,000,000. 

West  India  hurricane,  September  29  and  30,  1896,  covering 
Florida,  Georgia,  South  and  North  Carolina,  Virginia,  District 
of  Columbia,  Maryland,  Pennsylvania  and  New  York;  114 
killed;  property  loss,  $7,000,000. 

Eastern  Michigan,  May  25,  1897;  47  killed,  100  injured; 
property  loss,  $400,000. 

Galveston  hurricane,  September  8,  1900;  9,000  killed; 
property  loss,  $30,000,000;  estimated  wind  velocity,  120  miles 
an  hour. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

Lessons  of  the  Cataclysm  and  Precautionary 

Measures 

not  a  visitation  of  punishment — the  helplessness  of 
man  before  nature — the  kinship  of  humanity — incen- 
tive to  enterprise — the  greatest  lesson — measures 
against  repetition  of  disaster — utilizing  natural 
reservoirs — promotion  of  forestry — construction  of 
dams — secretary  lane's  plan — a  problem  for  the 
panama  engineers. 

WITH   each   succeeding   dispatch   from   the   districts 
stricken  by  flood  and  tornado  it  became  clearer 
that  the  first  impressions  of  the  disaster,  shocking 
as  theyxwere,  fell  not  far  beneath  the  dreadful  reality. 

Hundreds  overwhelmed  in  the  rushing  floods,  hundreds  of 
thousands  spared  from  sudden  death  only  to  suffer  hunger 
and  thirst  and  hardship  and  the  perils  of  fire,  cities  submerged, 
villages  swept  away,  countless  homes  and  vast  industries 
destroyed,  miles  upon  miles  of  populous  land  drowned  under 
turbulent  waters,  and  over  all  the  grim  shadows  of  starvation 
and  disease — this  catastrophe  defies  picture  and  parallel  to 
express  its  desolating  horror. 

(308) 


LESSONS  OF  THE   CATACLYSM  309 


'(- 


The  widespread  calamity,  which  smote  with  its  cruelest 
force  the  beautiful  city  of  Dayton,  is  one  of  those  for  which 
no  personal  responsibility  can  be  placed.  Like  the  tidal  flood 
which  devastated  Galveston  and  the  earth  upheaval  which 
laid  San  Francisco  in  ruins,  it  is  a  convulsion  which  could  not 
have  been  foreseen  or  stayed. 

NOT   A   VISITATION   OF   PUNISHMENT 

In  the  presence  of  such  a  fearful  disaster  there  are  few  per- 
sons who  will  say,  but  there  are  some  who  will  think,  that 
this  is  in  some  manner  a  visitation  decreed  upon  the  communi- 
ties  which  suffer.  The  very  magnitude  and  superhuman  force 
of  it  will  suggest  to  many  minds  the  thought  of  an  ordered 
punishment  and  warning  for  offenses  against  a  higher  power. 
y*  {Such  a  concept,  happily  more  rarely  held  than  in  earlier 
times,  is,  of  course,  revolting  to  sober  judgment  and  to  the 
instincts  of  religious  reverence.  For  it  would  imply  that  multi- 
tudes of  the  innocent  should  suffer  indescribable  cruelty;  it 
would  attempt  the  impossible  feat  of  justifying  the  smiting 
of  Dayton,  where  the  inhabitants  lived  lives  of  peaceful, 
helpful  industry,  and  the  sparing  of  communities  where  men 
serve  the  gods  of  dishonest  wealth  and  vicious  idleness. 

This  was  no  vengeance  decreed  for  human  shortcomings. 
It  was  superhuman,  but  not  supernatural.  It  was  but  a 
manifestation  of  the  unchangeable,  irresistible  forces  of  nature, 
governed  by  physical  laws  which  are  inexorable.  Nature 
knows  neither  revenge  nor  pity.  She  does  not  select  her 
victims,  nor  does  she  turn  aside  to  save  the  good  who  may  be 


310  LESSONS  OF  THE  CATACLYSM 

in  her  path.     As  her  concern  is  not  with  individuals,  but  with 
the  race,  so  she  is  moved  not  by  mercy,  but  by  law. 

To  the  limited  vision  of  man,  with  his  brief  life,  nature  seems 
incredibly  cruel  and  wasteful.  Her  teachings  must  be  learned 
at  fearful  cost.  Men  will  ask  themselves  what  lessons  are 
taught  by  this  overwhelming  sacrifice. 

THE  HELPLESSNESS  OF  MAN  BEFORE  NATURE 

There  is  made  plain,  first,  the  utter  powerlessness  of  man 
when  he  pits  his  strength  against  the  full  demonstration  of 
the  laws  of  nature.  It  is  revealed,  again,  that  there  are 
forces  which  before  all  the  might  of  human  intellect  remain 
unconquerable.  The  same  grim  lesson  confronts  the  scientist 
whose  babe  is  snatched  from  him  by  death;  it  confronts  the 
millionaire  who  feels  the  chill  of  age  creeping  upon  the  frame 
that  has  upheld  the  finances  of  a  nation  and  has  made  and 
unmade  panics  with  the  crooking  of  a  finger. 

THE    KINSHIP   OF   HUMANITY 

But  there  flows  from  such  a  catastrophe  a  brighter  and  bet- 
ter influence  than  this.  With  all  its  horror  and  shock,  there 
comes  inevitably  a  great  joining  of  minds  and  hearts.  The 
whole  world  feels  the  thrill  of  kinship  and  a  common  humanity. 
For  the  time  being  all  conceptions  of  social  caste  and  class 
distinction,  the  most  unworthy  thoughts  of  beings  fashioned 
all  in  the  image  of  their  Maker,  are  leveled  and  forgotten. 
Indifference  and  selfishness  disappear.  Throughout  the 
nation,    throughout    the    world,    there    thrills    the    uplifting 


LESSONS  OF  THE  CATACLYSM  311 

current  of  brotherhood,  the  consciousness  that  "we  be  of  one 
blood." 

Wherever  civilization  has  exercised  its  beneficent  influence 
upon  the  minds  of  men  there  is  felt,  for  a  little  time  at  least, 
the  sense  that  all  humanity  is  one;  that  the  strife  of  man 
against  man  and  nation  against  nation  is  but  a  pitiful  thing, 
and  that  we  may  better  concern  ourselves  with  trying  to  make 
the  common  lot  brighter  and  so  soften  the  rigors  of  the  exist- 
ence we  all  must  face. 

THE   RESPONSIBILITY   OF  WEALTH 

Specifically  does  not  such  an  appalling  event  serve  to 
awaken  responsibility  among  the  wealthy  and  powerful 
toward  the  poor  and  the  weak?  When  all  goes  well,  when  there 
are  no  thunderous  warnings  such  as  this  of  the  helplessness  of 
man  against  the  forces  arrayed  against  him,  the  fortunate  do 
not  realize  that  for  millions  mere  existence  is  a  poignant 
struggle;  that  hunger  and  cold  and  disease  prevail  even  when 
there  are  no  ghastly  floods  to  make  them  vivid  and  picturesque. 
We  do  not  doubt  that  there  are  many  who  will  be  stirred  b}T 
the  shock  of  this  dreadful  story  to  a  deeper  and  more  sympa- 
thetic understanding  with  the  conditions  that  surround  them 
on  every  side. 

INCENTIVE   TO   ENTERPRISE 

If  any  further  good  can  come  from  a  catastrophe  so  cruel, 
it  may  be  in  the  stimulating  pride  of  race  which  it  engenders. 
Such  experiences  have  a  unique  effect  upon  the  American 
nature.     The  greater  the  calamity  which  falls  upon  a  com- 


312  LESSONS  OF  THE   CATACLYSM 

munity  the  greater  seems  to  be  the  rebound.  Destruction 
and  hardship  seem  to  open  great  reservoirs  of  latent  energy, 
inventiveness  and  enterprise. 

Galveston,  suddenly  overwhelmed  by  a  convulsion  of  nature, 
apparently  was  doomed  to  molder  away  in  forgotten  ruins; 
but  her  people  cleared  the  wreck  and  built  a  greater  city  than 
before.  Before  the  ashes  of  the  old  San  Francisco  had  cooled 
the  vision  of  a  better  community  rose  before  her  inhabitants, 
and  they  made  it  real. 

Calamity  sets  free  such  a  flow  of  creative  power  that  destruc- 
tion itself  makes  for  progress.  These  disasters  concentrate 
upon  constructive  enterprise  stories  of  emotional  energy  that 
in  other  times  are  expended  in  the  fierce  struggle  of  competitive 
existence. 

THE    GREATEST   LESSON 

But  the  great  hidden  teaching  of  disaster  is  that  the  laws  of 
nature  are  eternal  and  inexorable;  that  they  move  with 
unerring  precision  and  resistless  force.  And  this  truth  applies 
not  only  to  the  tremendous  powers  of  the  hurricane,  the  flood 
and  the  earthquake,  but  to  economic  principles,  which  are 
simply  a  translation  into  human  terms  of  the  laws  manifested 
in  inanimate  nature. 

The  woman  whose  health  is  wrecked  by  overwork,  the  child 
whose  body  and  mind  are  stunted  by  early  labor,  the  tenement 
dweller  who  falls  victim  to  disease  because  of  unwholesome 
conditions  of  living — these  are  sacrifices  to  natural  laws  as 
much  as  are  the  thousands  swept  away  in  the  floods.  But, 
while  the  flood  deaths  are  due  to  an  outburst  of  the  elements 


LESSONS   OF  THE   CATACLYSM  313 

which  man  cannot  control,  these  others  are  the  result  of  his 
defiance  of  the  laws  of  nature. 

There  is  another  difference:  The  victims  of  economic  wrongs 
due  to  cupidity  and  indifference  outnumber  a  thousand  to 
one  the  victims  of  natural  causes  beyond  control.  All  the 
deaths  in  these  fearful  floods  are  less  than  those  caused  every 
year  in  a  single  large  city  by  conditions  that  might  be  remedied. 
|  Nature  decrees  that  those  who  do  not  have  certain  amounts 
of  fresh  air  and  food  and  rest  shall  die;  the  law  is  inexorable. 
But  it  is  civilization  which  defies  it  and  brings  down  the 
penalty. 

THE    AWAKENING    TO    OTHER    LAWS    OF   NATURE 

A  stranger  thought  is  that  many  whose  hearts  are  melted 
by  this  disaster  and  whose  checkbooks  open  to  the  suffering 
survivors  are  habitually  indifferent  to  the  more  deadly  con- 
ditions existing  on  all  sides  of  their  homes.  Men  contribute 
generously  to  the  relief  funds  who,  if  asked  to  surrender  a 
fractional  part  of  their  dividends  in  order  to  make  work  safer 
and  more  healthful  and  more  humane  for  employees,  would 
berate  the  suggestion  as  anarchistic. 

This  is  not  due  to  hardness  of  heart;  it  is  due  to  faults  of 
vision.  Men  display  such  sympathy  in  one  case  and  such 
ruthlessness  in  another  simply  because  civilization  has  not 
yet  advanced  far  enough  to  create  generally  the  sense  of 
responsibility  which  is  called  social  consciousness. 

There  are  those  who  believe  that  the  good  impulses  aroused 
by  such  events  as  now  appeal  to  us  tend  to  awaken  this  con- 


314  LESSONS  OF  THE   CATACLYSM 

sciousness;  on  the  other  hand,  a  $5,000  contribution  to  a 
flood  relief  fund  may,  by  salving  the  conscience  of  the  giver, 
close  his  mind  to  the  need  for  changing  industrial  conditions 
or  expending  some  of  his  tenement  rents  for  decent  sanitation. 
Our  own  belief  is  that  each  calamity  brings  the  minds  of 
the  nation  into  closer  sympathy  and  hastens  the  day  when  all 
men  will  understand  that  the  society  they  have  builded  is 
guilty  of  causing  miseries  just  as  great  as  those  we  are  now 
witnessing,  the  defying  the  laws  of  nature  because  of  indif- 
ference and  greed. 

THE   NEED   FOR   ACTION 

This  country  has  suffered  from  many  great  floods  in  past 
years,  but  none  so  awful  in  its  scope  and  terrible  consequences. 
The  present  calamity  must  bring  the  country  to  its  sober 
senses  and  make  us  see  the  positive  necessity — the  inevitable 
MUST — of  taking  immediate  and  adequate  measures  to 
guard  against  the  repetition  of  such  a  disaster.  "  Strike  while 
the  iron  is  hot,"  has  been  the  battle-cry  of  men  of  action 
throughout  the  world!  And  today,  while  the  iron  of  adversity 
is  hot  in  the  bosom  of  the  Republic,  is  the  time  to  strike  upon 
the  ideas  that  are  to  make  the  heroic  surgery  of  healing. 

What  is  the  remedy  for  these  mighty  floods  that  are  sweep- 
ing and  ruining  the  interior  country?  Beyond  the  supreme 
consideration  of  the  loss  of  life  they  are  the  financial  tragedies 
of  the  century.  They  occur  at  rare  intervals  in  Ohio  and 
Indiana  and  in  New  York.  But  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi 
and  in  the  Ohio  Valley  they  are  almost  an  annual  or  bi-annual 
scourge  of  waters,  terrific  in  suffering  and  appalling  in  cost. 


LESSONS   OF  THE   CATACLYSM  315 

NOT   A   QUESTION   OF   COST 

No  expenditure  of  public  money  is  too  great  that  will 
strengthen  the  defenses  of  the  people  against  the  giant  forces 
of  destruction  in  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  Rivers.  No  cost  in 
national  expenditure  for  permanent  defense  against  such 
catastrophes  would  approximate  the  cost  in  a  single  decade 
to  the  pockets  of  the  people,  not  to  speak  of  the  uncountable 
value  of  human  life.  Governor  Cox,  of  Ohio,  estimated  that 
the  damage  in  Ohio  alone  by  the  recent  floods  was  more  than 
$300,000,000 — nearly  as  much  as  the  cost  of  the  Panama  Canal. 
The  total  cost  of  the  recent  flood  is  vastly  greater  than  that 
of  the  Panama  Canal!  j| 

The  American  Government  can  no  longer  stop  to  consider 
money  in  dealing  with  the  problems  of  internal  economy 
and  of  elemental  humanity.  The  floods  create  an  emergency 
as  definite  and  imperative  as  war.  It  is  time  now  to  start 
some  movement  for  the  preservation  of  life  and  property 
against  such  occurrences. 

MEASURES   AGAINST   REPETITION   OF   DISASTER 

It  is  not  the  mission  of  this  book  to  prescribe  plans  for  meet- 
ing the  situation.  That  must  be  the  work  of  a  corps  of  trained 
engineers  who  shall  study  the  whole  problem  comprehensively 
and  in  detail.  Rather  it  is  our  purpose  here  to  bring  home  the 
overwhelming  need  for  prompt  action.  We  may  be  permitted, 
however,  to  point  in  a  general  way,  and  on  high  authority, 
the  general  lines  that  the  necessary  remedies  must  take. 

The  river  problems  in  the  great  central  valleys  present 


316  LESSONS   OF  THE   CATACLYSM 

certain  difficulties  which  engineers  have  been  unable  to  over- 
come. If  levees  are  constructed,  it  is  found  that  the  bed  of 
the  stream  rises  also,  so  that  the  situation  is  not  materially 
changed.  If  channels  are  deepened,  the  fury  of  the  floods  is 
increased.  If  the  construction  of  reservoirs  is  proposed,  there 
are  very  important  questions  of  location  and  danger. 

UTILIZING   NATURAL   RESERVOIRS 

In  many  places  the  Mississippi  River,  closely  diked,  flows 
high  above  the  lands  adjacent.  Even  at  New  Orleans,  107 
miles  from  the  Gulf,  it  is  during  high  water  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  city.  Obviously  the  levee  system, 
while  useful  everywhere  and  in  some  localities  adequate,  is  not 
a  universal  remedy.  Reservoirs  properly  constructed  should 
be  of  service  in  storing  the  waters  of  many  such  rivers  as  those 
that  have  caused  the  havoc  in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  but  to  meet 
the  requirements  they  would  have  to  be  of  enormous  size, 
very  numerous  and  costly,  as  Professor  Willis  S.  Moore,  chief 
of  the  Weather  Bureau,  points  out. 

Nature  itself  has  provided  in  lowlands  throughout  all  of 
these  valleys  receptacles  which,  before  men  came,  took  up  the 
surplus  waters.  We  have  reclaimed  millions  of  acres  of  these 
lands  on  the  theory  that  we  could  confine  the  rivers  which 
once  overflowed  them,  but  thus  far  we  have  failed  to  establish 
the  theory. 

It  is  probable  that  any  successful  national  work  for  the 
control  of  rivers  will  have  to  start  with  the  idea  of  utilizing 
some  of  these  natural  reservoirs.     The  lands  would  not  be 


LESSONS  OF  THE  CATACLYSM  317 

habitable  of  course,  but  for  agriculture  they  would  be  enriched 
instead  of,  as  now,  devastated.  To  depopulate  some  such 
tracts  would  not  be  as  costly  or  as  terrible  as  to  leave  them 
to  the  sweep  of  irresistible  torrents,  repeated  year  after  year. 

PROMOTION   OF   FORESTRY 

Despite  Professor  Moore's  very   positive     denial  of    the 

value  of  reforestation  as  a  preventive  of  floods,  it  is  claimed 

by  many  authorities  that  much  of  the  destruction  is  due  to 

the  fact  that  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois  have  been 

almost  denuded  of  such  forests  as  originally  stood  there.     No 

impediment  is  offered  to  the  flow  of  water  and  disastrous 

results  follow.     But  in  any  event  there  would  have  been  great 

floods  because  of  the  location  of  the  rainstorms  as  noted. 

■  i. 

CONSTRUCTION   OF  DAMS 

The  topography  of  the  country  must  be  taken  into  account. 
Both  valleys,  the  Miami  particularly,  are  veined  with  streams 
tributary  to  the  rivers,  and  in  times  of  flood  the  water  rises 
with  amazing  rapidity  and  spreads  far  and  wide  over  the  valley 
floor.  The  level  character  of  the  region  in  which  Dayton  itself 
lies  and  the  fact  that  there  is  not  enough  pitch  to  the  land 
below  to  carry  off  the  water  accounts  for  the  depth  and 
extent  of  the  floods.  Dayton  has  had  many  of  them.  What 
Congress  can  do  to  prevent  or  minimize  them  in  future  by 
putting  the  army  engineers  at  work  to  construct  dams  for  the 
collection  and  restraint  of  waters  in  the  valleys  north  of  the 
threatened  cities  must  be  done,  whatever  the  cost. 


318  LESSONS  OF  THE   CATACLYSM 

SECRETARY    LANE'S   PLAN 

Franklin  K.  Lane,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  has  outlined 
a  plan  for  preventing  such  floods  as  devastated  Ohio  and 
Indiana.  The  plan  hinges  on  the  deepening  and  widening 
of  the  channels  of  all  streams  that  are  liable  to  flood  conditions. 
Mr.  Lane  hopes  to  see  the  idea  carried  out  through  the  co- 
operation of  the  Federal  Government,  with  the  aid  of  the 
states  immediately  endangered. 

Aside  from  the  perpetual  protection  against  flood,  which 
he  believes  his  plan  would  give  to  settlers  in  low  regions,  there 
are  widespread  districts  along  the  Mississippi  and  many 
other  rivers  that  would  be  thrown  open  to  settlement.  The 
land  thus  reclaimed  from  the  swamps  might  go  a  long  way, 
in  Mr.  Lane's  opinion,  to  reimburse  the  states  for  the  appro- 
priations they  would  be  called Aipon  to* make.     Mr.  Lane  says: 

"The  rainstorm,  I  know,  was  phenomenal,  and  even  with 
the  system  I  have  suggested  would  have  doubtless  resulted 
in  material  damage  and  the  loss  of  some  lives.  But  flood 
conditions  reappear  every  spring  in  some  noticeable  way,  and 
my  plan  would  obviate  most  of  the  resulting  damage. 

"It  will  not  do  for  Ohio  or  Indiana  or  even  the  two  states 
together  to  spend  their  money  generously  in  clearing  the 
beds  of  the  streams  within  their  boundaries.  That  would 
merely  carry  the  flood  more  swiftly  to  the  state  lines  to  the 
south,  and  the  water  would  back  more  angrily  than  ever  into 
what  would  quickly  be  great  lakes.  The  thing  is  too  large 
for  the  states  alone.  A  harmonious,  scientific  system  must  be 
worked  out  by  the  federal  authorities,  and  the  states  must 


LESSONS  OF  THE  CATACLYSM  319 

then  make  their  contributions  in  the  way  that  will  do  the 
most  good  to  the  whole  valley  affected." 

SENATOR   NEWLAND's   PLAN 

Senator  Francis  G.  Newlands,  of  Nevada,  who  has  made  a 
long  study  of  the  whole  subject  of  reclamation  and  conserva- 
tion, and  who  speaks  with  authority  on  the  subject  says: 

"The  appalling  disasters  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  bring  home 
more  forcibly  than  ever  the  conviction  that  our  present  method 
of  dredging,  levees  and  bank  revetment  in  limited  districts 
is  fundamentally  inadequate.  These  things  will  not  protect 
dwellers  on  the  lower  reaches  of  our  rivers  so  long  as  there  is 
no  control  of  the  headwaters. 

"  We  must  adopt  an  adequate  system  for  the  control  of  the 
run-off  at  the  headwaters  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  people  of  Pittsburgh  and  Dayton  are  entitled  to  this, 
no  less  than  the  people  of  lower  Mississippi  are  entitled  to 
levees.  I  trust  these  floods  will  rouse  the  American  conscience 
in  these  matters." 

Senator  Newlands  has  urged  that  $50,000,000  a  year  be 
used  for  the  next  ten  years  to  develop  a  comprehensive  scheme 
of  storing  the  excess  flood  waters  at  the  heads  of  rivers. 

The  Democratic  platform  contained  a  plank  which  promised 
the  support  of  the  party  to  a  national  scheme  of  river  control. 
This  has  already  been  brought  to  the  attention  of  President 
Wilson.  With  the  horrible  scenes  of  the  inundated  towns  of 
Ohio  and  Indiana  before  them,  this  pledge  is  likely  to  become 
a  living  promise  to  the  party  in  power. 


352*  LESSONS, OF  THE   CATACLYSM 

A  PROBLEM  FOR  THE  PANAMA  ENGINEERS 

There  is  one  thing  to  remember.  Our  stupendous  enter- 
prise of  the  Panama  Canal  will  soon  be  completed.  Its  vast 
equipment  of  the  world's  newest  and  best  machinery  for  dig- 
ging and  filling  will  be  unemployed.  The  world's  greatest 
engineer,  Colonel  Goethals,  will  also  be  at  leisure.  Why  not 
then  provide  for  the  transfer  of  all  the  wonderful  machinery 
at  Panama,  under  personal  charge  and  direction  of  Colonel 
Goethals,  to  the  supreme  necessities  of  the  Mississippi  and 
Ohio  valleys?  The  whole  American  people  would  applaud  and 
approve  this  disposition  of  our  great  engineer  and  his  great 
equipment. 

This  new  national  necessity  is  as  vital  and  even  more  press- 
ing than  the  Panama  Canal.  It  is  worthy  of  the  great  Republic 
and  of  the  great  engineer — an  achievement  if  sucessful  which 
would  twin  with  Panama  and  make  Colonel  Goethals  immortal 
and  our  country's  beneficence  and  enterprise  famous  through 
all  time. 

We  have  no  force  and  no  leader  in  this  tragic  emergency 
more  potent  for  the  defense  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio 
valleys  than  Colonel  Goethals  and  his  Panama  machinery. 
Let  us  send  cheer  to  the  flood-ravaged  regions  of  our  country 
by  the  assurance  that  this  great  man  and  this  incomparable 
equipment  will  soon   be    consecrated   to  their  relief. 


*The  32  pages  of  illustrations  contained  in  this  book  are  not  included  in  the 
paging.     Adding  those  32  jjages  to  the  320  pages  of  text  makes  a  total  of  352  pages. 


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